ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Islamic State (ISIS) carried out a suicide attack in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, killing a member of the state security forces, state media reported late on Friday.
The attack targeted a checkpoint in Mayadin city, according to Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Mayadin is located within areas of Deir ez-Zor controlled by Damascus. The oil-rich part of the province is under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Deir ez-Zor is a hotspot for ISIS attacks. The extremist group often targets SDF in the province. The Kurdish-led force, with the support of the US-led global coalition against ISIS, has carried out numerous operations against the group there.
Kurdish internal security forces (Asayish), which is part of the SDF, on Friday announced the arrest of an ISIS leader in Hasaka city. He was accused of intimidating civilians, robbery and targeting security forces.
ISIS rose to power and seized swathes of Iraqi and Syrian land in 2014, declaring a so-called “caliphate.” The group was declared territorially defeated in Syria in 2019, two years after its defeat in Iraq. Despite its military defeat, it continues to pose security risks, particularly in the vast eastern deserts of Syria.
Last month, a Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesperson told Rudaw that an estimated 2,000 ISIS militants remain active in the Syrian desert.
The United States military on Friday confirmed their forces killed a senior ISIS member in northwest Syria earlier this week.
