Return of Islamic State? Terrorists carried out attacks in Syria and Iraq

Baghdad: More than 100 militants of the Islamic State group attacked Syria’s biggest prison on Thursday, where suspected militants are being held. Meanwhile, IS gunmen attacked an army barracks in a mountainous area in northern Baghdad early Friday, killing 11 soldiers. The soldiers were sleeping at the time of the attack. The attack on a prison in Syria is believed to be the biggest since the militants lost their last stronghold in the region nearly three years ago.

Sleeper cell became more active in Iraq and Syria

IS’s ‘sleeper cells’ have become more active in both countries in recent months and have claimed responsibility for attacks that have killed several Iraqi and Syrian people. Iraqi military and security officials said the attack in Iraq took place early Friday in al-Ajim district, an open space north of Bakubah in Diyala province. Details about the circumstances of the attack are not yet available. However, two officials told The Associated Press (AP) that militants of the Islamic State group broke into the barracks around 3 p.m. local time and shot dead soldiers.

One lieutenant and 10 soldiers were among the dead.
An Iraqi military statement said the dead included an officer of the rank of lieutenant and 10 soldiers. The attack, some 120 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, is one of the deadliest attacks targeting Iraqi forces in recent months. Officials said troops have been sent to the area where the attack took place on Friday and security forces have been deployed in the surrounding areas. “We confirm that the sacrifices of the brave martyrs will not go in vain and the response of our troops will be very strong,” the Iraqi army statement said.

3000 suspected terrorists of IS are imprisoned in jail
Meanwhile, in Syria, more than 100 IS fighters, using heavy machine guns and vehicles laden with explosives, attacked the Guerran prison in the city of Hasakeh, where some 3,000 suspected IS militants are kept. Farhad Sami, spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, gave this information. He said seven US-backed Kurdish fighters were killed and several others wounded. At least 23 IS attackers are also among the dead. “This is the biggest attack not only in Syria, but in Iraq and the region,” Sami said. The prisoners include commanders, some of whom are quite dangerous.

Prisoners try to escape from jail during violence
The attack on the prison was carried out on Thursday evening and was aimed at freeing IS fighters imprisoned there. Kurdish forces controlling the prison said inmates tried to escape from the prison after a car bomb exploded outside the prison and gunmen clashed with security forces. Sami said the fighters were being led by foreign terrorists. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said 89 terrorists who had escaped from the prison were arrested. Another group of prisoners made another attempt to escape from the jail on Friday.

31 people including terrorists killed in Syria attack
US-led coalition forces launched airstrikes late Thursday after receiving reports of casualties from Syrian-led Kurdish forces. Britain’s Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 20 Kurdish security forces and prison guards, six militants and five civilians were killed in the clashes. It has described it as the most violent attack since IS’s defeat in the region in 2019. At the same time, a journalist of the Kurdish-run news agency ‘Hvar’ was seriously injured during the coverage of the clashes. The agency gave this information. (Language)