Syrian opposition forces backed by a US-led coalition killed
at least 20 militant Islamic State (IS) fighters and took several
others prisoner on Thursday, coalition military officials said.
According
to the coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq, a vetted Syrian
opposition group known as the Maghawir al-Thawra detected the fighters
early Thursday in an area controlled by pro-Syrian regime forces in
southern Syria, in the Al-Tanf border region.
Supported
by coalition forces, the Maghawir al-Thawra “quickly and professionally
conducted an operation,” the coalition said in a statement.
“This
is the second time in less than a month that convoys of Daesh (IS)
terrorists, fleeing the middle Euphrates River valley, transited through
the regime-controlled territory,” the statement read, using an Arabic
name for the IS.
“Despite the presence of Russian-backed,
pro-Syrian regime forces in the area, Daesh (IS) still finds ways to
move freely through regime lines and pose a threat,” coalition director
of operations Brigadier General Jonathan Braga added.
The
coalition did not give additional details on the captured fighters,
saying only “a number of Daesh terrorists were detained in the
engagement, including foreign terrorists.”
The coalition
says 98 per cent of the territory once held by the IS has now been
recaptured. The Maghawir al-Thawra have been fighting the IS in the
tri-border area of Iraq, Syria, and Jordan since 2015.
