ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Suspected Islamic State (ISIS) gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a military vehicle belonging to Kurdish security forces (Asayish) in northeast Syria, injuring two members, a war monitor reported on Monday. “Two gunmen from ISIS cells, riding a motorcycle, opened fire on a military vehicle of the Asayish,” reported the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack targeted the anti-narcotics unit of the Asayish on a highway near the town of Muhaimida, west of Deir ez-Zor. The injured personnel were transferred to the hospital for treatment, according to the Observatory. The attack comes as ISIS seeks to exploit the chaos and security vacuums created since rebels overthrew the former regime, carrying out hit-and-run attacks and gaining territories in the Syrian desert. The US-led coalition against ISIS and its ally, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls Rojava, have sought to keep the militants from regaining their footing in the new security landscape. The SDF has recently come under attack by the Ankara-backed SNA, which is part of a broader coalition of militia groups that joined forces against the now-collapsed regime of Bashar al-Assad. The SDF says that the attacks have hindered their operations against ISIS. Several US Senators have expressed support for the SDF, with prominent Senators, Chris Van Hollen and Lindsey Graham, introducing a bill on Friday to impose sanctions on Turkey in response to its ongoing attacks on Kurdish fighters in northern Syria. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country is “determined to continue our precise operation” in Syria.
