ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An unidentified gunman opened fire on Kurdish-led internal security forces (Asayish) in Raqqa. The attacker and two civilians were killed in the attack.
“A person riding a motorcycle targeted one of our forces' checkpoints in the town of al-Karama, east of Raqqa, randomly firing a Kalashnikov weapon. Our forces immediately responded to the source of gunfire, which led to neutralizing the attacker on the spot. The attack resulted in the martyrdom of two civilians, with no casualties among our members,” said Asayish in a statement.
It later began combing the area and searching for any person involved in the assault. “Necessary security measures were also taken to ensure the stability of the area and prevent any attempts aimed at destabilizing security and safety.”
No group has claimed responsibility, and Asayish has not attributed the attack to any specific party.
Such attacks are often carried out by Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells in eastern Syria. The group has recently escalated its activities in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which Asayish is a component.
Since its territorial defeat in Syria in 2019, ISIS has been trying to regain its strength, particularly after a coalition of opposition groups - led by the now-dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - in early December toppled the regime of longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.