The militant Islamic State group seized parts of a key town on the Syrian-Iraqi border on Friday in a massive operation that further confirmed the militants remain a force on the ground.
IS used at least 10 suicide bombers in its offensive on Albu Kamal, which lies in he Euphrates Valley in eastern Syria and swiftly took several neighbourhoods, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The offensive is the latest in a string of IS attacks which confirm predictions that the militant organisation would continue to be a threat even after the collapse of its “caliphate” last year.
At least 25 government and allied fighters were killed in the operation, one of the militants’ largest this year, said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Observatory.
