Five Iranian-Backed Fighters Killed In Clashes With ISIS Near Syria’s Palmyra: Monitoring Group

Illustrative image.

Five Iranian-backed fighters were killed in clashes with ISIS terrorists near the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra in the eastern countryside of Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on September 16.

The London-based monitoring group said that the fighters were attacked by ISIS terrorists while taking part in a combing operation in a desert area to the southwest of Palmyra.

“Five members of pro-Iranian militias of non-Syrian nationalities were killed, while others were wounded, and they were transferred to Palmyra National Hospital,” the SOHR’s report reads.

Iranian-backed Iraqi and Afghan forces maintain a large presence around Palmyra. Nevertheless, ISIS’s news agency, Amaq, is yet to report any clashes with pro-government forces near the city. This makes the SOHR’s claims questionable to say the least.

The only attack that was reported by Amaq this week took place in the southern Raqqa countryside. The attack, which was on September 15, saw ISIS terrorists targeting a vehicle of the Syrian military with an improvised explosive device on a road to the west of Tabqah Air Base. Amaq said that the vehicle was damaged. However, there were no casualties.

ISIS has been waging an insurgency against government forces and their allies in Syria’s centeral region for several years now.

In the last few months, the terrorist group’s activities in the region saw a sharp decline as a result of a series of successful counter-terrorism and combing operations. Despite of this, the group’s insurgency will not likely end any time soon.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC:

• Last Israeli Attack On Syria Targeted Iranian Revolutionary Guards Office – Report
• Turkish Foreign Minister Says Withdrawal From Syria Would Harm Ankara & Damascus