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Surge of IS Violence Seen in Syria

Sirwan Kajjo

   Islamic State militants have increased their terror activity in recent
   weeks in Syria, carrying out deadly attacks against Syrian regime
   troops and U.S.-backed forces.
   Since early December, the terror group has conducted at least three
   major attacks on Syrian government forces and their allied militias in
   the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, local sources said.
   According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor
   that has reporters across the country, recent attacks claimed by IS
   against Syrian military forces have killed at least 30 soldiers and
   wounded more than 50 others.
   Last week, at least three fighters with the U.S.-backed Syrian
   Democratic Forces were killed in what local military officials
   described as a suicide attack carried out by IS militants in the
   province of Raqqa, IS's former de facto capital before it was freed in
   2017 by the SDF anditsU.S.-led allies.

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