Syria: Suspected IS attack on bus leaves several dead
June 20, 2022
An attack on a bus in the remote eastern part of Syria killed at least 15 people on Monday, according to the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
According to the state-run news agency SANA, the ambush took place in the region of Raqqa — the former stronghold of the so-called "Islamic State" (IS).
Although no group has yet claimed responsibility, signs point to sleeper cells from the terror group being behind the attack.
"At about 6:30 (0330 GMT) this morning, a civilian bus was subjected to a terrorist attack on the Raqqa-Homs highway in al-Jira area, which led to the martyrdom of 11 army personnel and two civilians and the injury of three other army personnel," SANA reported, citing a military source which gave a contradicting number of dead.
Debate over target of attack
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors violence in the country, disputed the SANA report, saying that the target had been a military bus and that no civilians were killed.
An unnamed military official had said the bus was on route from Raqqa, now under Kurdish control, to the government-controlled central province of Homs.
IS has carried out similar attacks in recent months which have left dozens dead or wounded.
An attack last month by non-IS forces killed 10 soldiers and pro-regime fighters in Aleppo, the highest death toll from an attack since Russia and Turkey signed a truce in March 2020.
Initial reports did not clarify whether the attack had consisted of a roadside bomb or an ambush with machinegun fire.
Sleeper cells still active
IS proclaimed its "caliphate" spanning an area of land the size of Britain across eastern Syria and western Iraq in 2014 with the city of Raqqa as their de-facto capital.
A coalition of various forces including US support ended the extremist group's rule in 2019, but sleeper cells have continued to be active in the more remote parts of the country.
With Russian and Iranian support, the regime of Bashar al-Assad has managed to wrest back control of the country following the brutal more than 10-year-long war.
ab/kb (AFP, dpa, AP)