Nine Syrian soldiers and gunmen killed in attack by Islamic State

Nine members of the regime forces and armed loyalists were killed in a surprise attack carried out by Islamic State personnel on military positions in the deep desert in eastern Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Tuesday.

The observatory noted that "cells affiliated with the organization executed a surprise attack on Monday night, targeting positions of the regime forces and National Defense elements in the western countryside of Deir al-Zor, resulting in the killing of nine and the injury of more than twenty others."

Clashes erupted between the two parties following the attack, lasting until dawn, during which the extremist organization's elements seized a military vehicle and destroyed three other vehicles, according to the observatory.

The extremist organization often targets points affiliated with various entities or buses carrying soldiers or civilian employees, especially in the vast and remote desert region to which its fighters retreated after being defeated in their last strongholds in eastern Syria.

AFP