Syria Kurdish forces say 3 personnel dead in IS attack

Kurdish security forces in northeast Syria said an Islamic State group attack killed three personnel on Sunday, as the jihadists keep up their attacks in Kurdish-controlled areas of the war-torn country.

Noting "escalating activity" by the jihadists, a statement from the Asayish security forces said an IS cell "targeted a patrol" from the force's convoy and road security department on the Raqa-Hasakeh road.

Since the December ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, IS jihadists have repeatedly attacked Kurdish-led forces in the country's north and northeast.

The roadside blast resulted "in the death of three or our members", the statement said, adding that "sweep operations and investigations" had begun to track down those responsible.

Once in control of large swathes of Syria and Iraq, IS was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019 in a battle spearheaded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with support from an international coalition.

The jihadists have continued to maintain a presence, mainly in the country's vast desert.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor also reported Sunday's attack, saying it was carried out by gunmen "believed to belong to an Islamic State group cell".

The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said Kurdish forces were "accompanying an oil convoy" that was travelling through Raqa province bound for "areas controlled by Damascus".

IS on Thursday claimed its first attack on Syria's new government forces since Assad's fall, the Observatory and the SITE Intelligence Group said.

The Observatory said the attack on Wednesday, carried out by a remote-detonated landmine, killed one person and wounded three members of the Syrian army's 70th.

Reported IS attacks in areas controlled by the new Islamist-led authorities since Assad's overthrow have been scarce.