Latest news with #Suwayda
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
ISIS claims responsibility for 2 bomb explosions in Syria
May 31 (UPI) -- The Islamic State claimed responsibility for two bomb attacks in a remote region in southern Syria on Wednesday and Thursday. The twin bombings mark the first time ISIS has attacked the new Syrian government that took power in December and occurred in the remote Sweida Province. ISIS posted two online statements on Thursday claiming responsibility for the bombings that killed and wounded Syrian soldiers and militia members who are allied with the Syrian government, The New York Times reported. An attack occurred on Wednesday and struck a Syrian Army reconnaissance group that was tracking ISIS activities in the remote desert area, CNN reported. Those wounded in that attack are members of the Syrian Army's 70th Division, and the man who died was assisting the soldiers, according to The New York Times. ISIS used a remote-controlled land mine to target the vehicle in which they were traveling, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced. That attack occurred in the eastern portion of the Sweida Province and was the first attack carried out by ISIS and targeting forces allied with the new Syrian government. A second bombing occurred on Thursday in the same region, according to news reports and ISIS. ISIS said it killed and injured seven soldiers for the "apostate Syrian regime" by using an explosive device on a road in the Talul al Safa area in the Suwayda province in southern Syria, Al Jazeera reported. Both attacks occurred near Sweida in southern Syria, which is a mountainous desert area in which ISIS has operated for many years. Neither the Syrian government nor the Free Syrian Army has commented on either bombing. The United States backs the Free Syrian Army, which operates in the Sweida region's al Tanf Deconfliction Zone that is located near Syria's borders with Jordan. The United States maintains a small outpost in the area. ISIS also has operated in the area for a long time due to its "extremely rugged and dangerous" terrain, CNN reported. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump said he he was lifting "crippling" U.S. sanctions on Syria originally imposed to block flows of money into Syria, including aid, to put pressure on the brutal regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. He met with the country's transitional leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May14. Al-Sharaa, who was appointed president in January, has promised to hold elections once a new constitution is in place in around four years.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
ISIS claims first attacks against forces loyal to new government in Syria
ISIS has claimed two attacks on Syrian security forces – the first since the transitional government under former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa took office. The terror group, also known as Islamic State, said it had killed and injured seven members of 'the apostate Syrian regime' with an explosive device that was detonated on a road in southern Syria. It said the attack took place in the remote desert area of Talul al Safa in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda. A military source in the Suwayda region told CNN that a reconnaissance unit from the Free Syrian Army was ambushed Wednesday while tracking ISIS movements in the area. One fighter had been killed and three injured. Units of the Free Syrian Army are supported by the US military in what is called the al Tanf Deconfliction Zone close to the borders with Jordan and Egypt, where the US has a small outpost. The source added that the Talul al Safa area is 'extremely rugged and dangerous area, as ISIS had been exploiting its terrain for a long time.' ISIS lost almost all the territory it controlled in Syria by the end of 2017 but has maintained a foothold in Syria's vast central desert. ISIS claimed another attack in the same area several days ago. CNN has reached out to the government in Damascus for comment. Last week, the Syrian Interior Ministry said security forces operating in an area not far from where the attacks took place had seized 'a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as weapons' at locations belonging to a terrorist cell affiliated with ISIS. The Washington DC-based Institute for the Study of War says the group has likely maintained cells in southern Syria despite not carrying out any attacks there for at least two years. The US and other Western governments have urged the new Syrian government to prevent a resurgence of ISIS and other terror groups on Syrian soil. But the government has struggled to extend its authority to Suwayda, where there have been clashes between Druze and Sunni groups.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
ISIS claims first attacks against forces loyal to new government in Syria
ISIS has claimed two attacks on Syrian security forces – the first since the transitional government under former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa took office. The terror group, also known as Islamic State, said it had killed and injured seven members of 'the apostate Syrian regime' with an explosive device that was detonated on a road in southern Syria. It said the attack took place in the remote desert area of Talul al Safa in the southern Syrian province of Suwayda. A military source in the Suwayda region told CNN that a reconnaissance unit from the Free Syrian Army was ambushed Wednesday while tracking ISIS movements in the area. One fighter had been killed and three injured. Units of the Free Syrian Army are supported by the US military in what is called the al Tanf Deconfliction Zone close to the borders with Jordan and Egypt, where the US has a small outpost. The source added that the Talul al Safa area is 'extremely rugged and dangerous area, as ISIS had been exploiting its terrain for a long time.' ISIS lost almost all the territory it controlled in Syria by the end of 2017 but has maintained a foothold in Syria's vast central desert. ISIS claimed another attack in the same area several days ago. CNN has reached out to the government in Damascus for comment. Last week, the Syrian Interior Ministry said security forces operating in an area not far from where the attacks took place had seized 'a number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), as well as weapons' at locations belonging to a terrorist cell affiliated with ISIS. The Washington DC-based Institute for the Study of War says the group has likely maintained cells in southern Syria despite not carrying out any attacks there for at least two years. The US and other Western governments have urged the new Syrian government to prevent a resurgence of ISIS and other terror groups on Syrian soil. But the government has struggled to extend its authority to Suwayda, where there have been clashes between Druze and Sunni groups.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Armed group in Syria's Suwayda takes governor hostage for prisoner's release
CAIRO, May 21 (Reuters) - An armed group briefly held the governor of Syria's Suwayda province hostage at the town hall on Wednesday, demanding and securing the release of an imprisoned associate, Syria's Information Ministry said in a statement. The assailants stormed the government building at gunpoint, sealed its gates, and detained Governor Mustafa Al-Bakour, along with employees and security guards, the ministry stated. Later on, the prisoner, who was previously convicted of stealing several vehicles, was released for the safety of the hostages. Suwayda is a predominantly Druze area in southwestern Syria. The Druze are an Arabic-speaking religious minority with communities in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, often connected by a web of kinship ties.
