Multiple Ambushes by ISIS Claim Lives of Syrian Soldiers in Raqqa and the East

At least 20 Syrian soldiers were killed and several others wounded in an ambush on a bus in eastern Syria, believed to have been carried out by ISIL (ISIS). The attack, the deadliest so far this year by ISIL, occurred near the town of Mayadeen in Deir Az Zor province. Despite losing its territorial control in 2019, ISIL sleeper cells in Syria continue to carry out bold and bloody attacks, targeting civilians, Kurdish-led fighters, and government troops. The vast desert province of Deir Az Zor is split between Syrian troops, backed by Iran and Russia, and Kurdish-led fighters, backed by the United States.