A suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) exploded near the roundabout of al-Na’eim in the city center of Raqqa in the late hours of June 1. The explosion was followed by a second, smaller one in the same area.
ISIS immediately claimed responsibility for the double-tap attack through its news agency, Amaq. The terrorist group claimed that the SVBIED targeted a gathering of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters and revealed that the second explosion was caused an improvised-explosive device (IED).
The Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported that 3 people were killed and 16 were injured in the attack. However, local sources said that at least 10 civilians were killed, including children.
A security source in ISIS told Amaq that the attack was a part of a new military campaign called Ghazwat Al-Aistinzaf [the Battle of Attrition]. According to the source, the campaign was launched on May 31.
The terrorist group is likely trying to repeat the same strategy it followed in western Iraq before its raise in 2014. The strategy included a series of attacks aimed at draining resources of local forces and terrorizing the civilians.
