Five IS militants killed in airstrikes in Iraq
Five Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in airstrikes in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, the Iraqi military said on Saturday.
At least 35 civilians were killed on Friday by an Islamic State suicide bombing in eastern Syria, pro-government Sham FM radio reported.
The IS suicide bombing targeted a checkpoint of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in an area between the Conico and Jafra energy fields in the northeastern countryside of Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria, Xinhua reported.
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Meanwhile, activists placed the death toll at 50, saying the explosion was carried out by a suicide car bomber.
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It’s not the first bombing to target Kurdish forces, particularly after the advance of the SDF in the battles against IS in northern Syria.
The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian fighters led by the Kurdish YPG group and supported by the US-led coalition, captured IS de facto capital of Raqqa last month and currently is taking IS-held areas in the northern countryside of Deir al-Zour.
The Syrian government forces are also advancing in the battles agianst IS in Deir al-Zour, capturing the capital city of that province and closing in on the IS militants in the eastern city of al-Bukamal, the last IS stronghold in Syria.
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