Islamic State kills 10 pro-govt troops in Syria

Damascus [Syria], August 9: Islamic State militants attacked posts held by Syrian government troops and fighters loyal to them in northern Syria, killing 10 people and wounding six others, a war monitor said on Tuesday.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Humans Rights, which has been documenting violence in Syria since 2011, said the attack occurred in the town of Ma'danAteeq, in the eastern countryside of Raqqa governorate.
The observatory said the militants managed to control the targeted sites for hours before finally withdrawing after setting them on fire.
Raqqa was a former militant stronghold in 2014.
In 2017, Syrian Kurdish fighters backed by US forces managed to oust the Islamic State from the area.
Islamic State once controlled a large proportion of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.
The extremist militia has been declared militarily defeated in both countries, but it remains active and repeatedly carries out attacks in the region.
Islamic State last week named Abu Hafs Al Hashimi Al Quraishi as its new leader, for the first time confirming the death of its former head Abu Hussein Al Husseini Al Quraishi, whom Turkey said it had killed in April.
Source: Qatar Tribune