ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish-led Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in northeast Syria (Rojava) reported that two of their positions in eastern Syria came under near-simultaneous attacks by what they described as “terrorist cells” attempting to destabilize the region.
In a statement posted on X late on Friday, the Asayish General Command said that around 7:00 pm local time, “two individuals on a motorcycle opened fire at a joint checkpoint of our forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town of Abriha,” located east of Deir ez-Zor province. The assailants fled immediately after the attack.
At the same time, unknown attackers “threw a hand grenade at one of our centers in Dhiban,” also in eastern Deir ez-Zor, the statement added, noting that no injuries were reported.
The Kurdish-led forces said their units “immediately engaged the sources of fire,” forcing the attackers to retreat. Following the incidents, additional patrols were deployed and security measures were reinforced and an investigation was launched to identify the perpetrators, the statement added.
The Asayish affirmed vigilance stating, “Our forces remain committed to protecting the local population, strengthening stability, and confronting all attempts to undermine the security of the region.”
Although the Asayish did not specify who carried out the attacks, Islamic State (SIS) remnants remain active in the area.
Two weeks earlier, the Kurdish-led forces arrested three suspected members of the extremist group, in a “qualitative security operation” supported by the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in northern Deir ez-Zor, seizing weapons, documents, and communication devices.
ISIS lost its territorial control in Syria in 2019 but continues to wage an insurgency.
Throughout this year, the group has sought to exploit instability that followed the fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad in December. Deir ez-Zor has been a hotspot of ISIS activity.
Importantly, the Asayish are also an affiliate of the SDF - the de facto military force of Rojava and the main on-the-ground ally of the US-led coalition forces in Syria.
Just days ago, the SDF reported that their units on Wednesday struck several ISIS sites in Raqqa used by foreign ISIS militants to launch drones against SDF outposts.
The SDF accused factions aligned with the Damascus government of facilitating the attacks, noting that video evidence shows ISIS launching drones from those locations - “confirming direct coordination between several Damascus-government factions and ISIS terrorists.”
The Syrian defense ministry responded Thursday, accusing the Kurdish-led forces of killing two Syrian army soldiers and injuring several others in Raqqa, but did not specify the nationalities of those involved.