ISIL suicide bombers 'kill dozens' in northeast Syria

At least 37 people, including dozens of civilians, have been killed in an attack by ISIL suicide bombers targeting an area in northeast Syria held by US-backed Kurdish forces, according to a monitoring group.


The Britain-based "Syrian Observatory for Human Rights" [so-called] said five suicide bombers detonated explosives in Rajm al-Salib, the location of a checkpoint and refugee camp in Hasaka province near the border with Iraq.

The explosions on Tuesday were followed by gun battles between other ISIL attackers and Kurdish fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who were manning the area, leaving dozens of people wounded.

"The area where the attacks took place is where many refugees escaping violence in Iraq were gathering," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of Observatory, told the DPA news agency, adding that the attackers might have come from Iraq.

The Observatory monitors Syria's conflict via a network of contacts on the ground.
 [aljazeera.com]
2/5/17