Just after sunrise outside Syria’s Raqa, dozens of IS group militants donned Kurdish military uniforms, piled into cars with weapons, and broke back into a district they lost control of months ago.
The raid was the latest evidence that IS, despite holding just a pocket of territory in its one-time stronghold, retains the capacity to wage deadly guerrilla attacks on areas thought to be relatively safe.
The militants opened fire on a media centre run by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in Al Meshleb, the easternmost neighbourhood of Raqa and the first area taken from IS in June.
“They were wearing YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units) uniforms and came in six cars from the east,” said the centre’s head Kani Shahani, who was communicating with AFP during the attack.
The YPG forms the backbone of the SDF, a key force fighting IS in northern Syria with support from the US-led coalition against the militants.
Hours of clashes left at least two SDF members dead and appeared to shake the confidence of the alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters in the area as a safe rearbase.
The road into the east — which had seen regular civilian traffic over the past few weeks — has remained sealed for days, with large metal barrels and sand berms blocking access.
Tense SDF fighters were on high alert as they searched cars and motorcycles at checkpoints on Friday.
Two other failed infiltration attempts also hit the city’s west last week. On Friday, the militants were suspected of trying to sneak out of the city among civilians, SDF members said. More than a dozen vans of SDF fighters could be seen speeding from a western suburb into the city to reinforce regular positions.
“There has been more than one attempt from IS to break this siege on those inside, including striking behind the front lines,” said SDF press chief Mustefa Bali.
He said the attack on Al Meshleb was waged by at least 30 IS fighters who snuck in from territory a few kilometres east of the city limits.
“This shows that the infiltration was major. This area is supposed to be relatively secure,” Bali said. — AFP
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