Syrian Kurds announce three of their police killed by IS

The Kurdish internal security forces, the Asayish, stated on Sunday that three of their members were killed in an attack by the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) in northeastern Syria.

IS, which managed to control a vast area in Syria and Iraq, was defeated in Syria in 2019 by Kurdish forces with the support of an international coalition. However, it maintains cells that continue to attack Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria.

In a statement noting an "increasing activity" of IS jihadists, the Asayish declared that an "armed cell" of the group attacked "a patrol of our forces [...] on the road connecting Raqqa and Hasakeh." "A remote-controlled explosive device was triggered against the patrol vehicle, causing the death of three of our members while they were carrying out their duty to secure the road and ensure the movement of civilians," they added. "Sweeping operations and investigations" are underway to track down those responsible, according to them.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also reported an attack against Kurdish forces by armed men "suspected of belonging" to an IS cell. The NGO, based in the United Kingdom but with a vast network of sources inside the country, specified that the Kurdish forces were "escorting an oil convoy" crossing the province of Raqqa toward "the areas controlled by Damascus."

On Thursday, IS claimed for the first time an attack against the forces of the new Islamist authorities, who took power in Syria after overthrowing the former president Bashar al-Assad. U.S. President Donald Trump, who met with the interim Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharah on May 14 in Saudi Arabia, called on him to "help the United States prevent a resurgence of IS."