Car bomb blast in Syria’s Raqqa leaves ten dead

A car bomb attack in the Syrian city of Raqqa, carried out by the Islamic State terrorist group, left at least ten Kurdish fighters dead late on Friday, the Al Mayadeen TV reported.

The explosion took place near barracks of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

This is the second deadly blast this month targeting SDF facilities in Raqqa, some 500 km away from the Syrian capital Damascus. On April 9, 13 people were killed in a blast near an SDF checkpoint in Raqqa, which used to be the Islamic State’s stronghold in the area. The city was liberated from the Islamic State on October 17, 2017, by SDF forces supported by the US-led international coalition.

According to Al Mayadeen, groups of Islamic State militants continue their attacks on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river even after the remnants of the ISIS “caliphate” were crushed in the village of Baghuz on the border with Iraq in late March. They regularly attack SDF patrols and Syrian government forces and ambush convoys carrying weapons and food.