At Least 70 Islamic State Terrorists Have Been Killed By The Syrian Army In The Last 48 Hours
Within 48 hours, at least 70 Islamic State jihadists have been killed in the Syrian northern province of Raqa as a result of combat with the Syrian army, reports the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Islamic State reportedly launched an attack Tuesday on Tabqa military airport, one of the last remaining strongholds in Raqa. The Islamic State resorted to rockets, tank shells, and car bombs in their attack, but did not manage to gain any ground. This may be because the attack had been anticipated for weeks due to the capturing of nearby, surrounding villages by the Islamic State.
The Syrian military used barrel bombs to attack the Islamic State from the air, the same weaponry used on the northern city of Aleppo. On Thursday, reinforcements were airlifted by helicopter in Tabqa. “At least 70 IS fighters have been lost since early Wednesday in regime air raids, Scud missile blasts and mine explosions,” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
The Syrian military has been forced to take action in the form of air strikes after the Islamic State’s forceful actions in Raqa and Aleppo. The Islamic State has gained considerable amounts of land in the neighboring territories of Syria and Iraq, strategically targeting isolated government bases and killing army commanders and pro-government militiamen.
The Islamic State has been in the news recently for the brutal and shocking decapitation of American journalist James Foley. The Islamic State even threatened to kill another American journalist, who is believed to be Steven Sotloff.
However, according to a report by Inquisitr.com, this casualty is the lesser of two evils when compared to the 700 Sheitat civilians in Syria who were slaughtered by the Islamic State. Al Jazeera reported that, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, many of the victims in the last two weeks were beheaded after they were captured by the Islamic State, a fate most non-Muslims face if caught by ISIS. “The silence of the international community is unbelievable. There is no excuse for them to keep a blind eye on what is happening in Syria. We have reports supported by documents and videos that crimes in Deir Ezzor against humanity are being committed by IS on a daily basis,” said Syrian National Council head Hadi al-Bahra.
The Islamic State and Syria dispute is still unraveling, and we will have to wait and see what happens.
[Image via AFP]
