| Information |  | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
| ||
| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
| ||
26Jun15
IS militants kill 146 civilians in Syria's Kobane within 24 hours
At least 146 civilians were killed and more than 200 others wounded over the past 24 hours by the Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria's predominantly-Kurdish city of Ayn al-Arab, or Kobane, a monitor group reported Friday.
Medical sources in Ayn al-Arab in northern Syria said 146 civilians were gunned down by the IS militants since Thursday morning, the time when the IS group infiltrated into parts of the city and detonated three car bombs while engaging in battles against Kurdish fighters affiliated with the People's Protection Units (YPG), according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
About 72 of the slain people were shot down in the village of Halnaj, 48 others in the district of Maqtaleh in the city and 26 civilians were shot dead in the town of Barkh Butan, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of activists on ground.
The UK-based watchdog group said the death toll is likely to rise due to the high number of critically wounded people.
Tens of women and children were among those killed, said the Observatory, adding that the massacre is the second large-scale one for the IS militants since they killed over 900 people of the Shuaitat tribe in the eastern Deir al-Zour province.
A day earlier, the IS militants infiltrated into Ayn al-Arab in disguise, wearing the uniform of the Kurdish YPG fighters and allied rebel groups.
The IS members sneaked into parts of the city and snipers fanned out in several areas, triggering violent battles with YPG fighters, during which 28 IS militants were killed.
The Observatory said that the bodies of the IS militants were still tossed on the streets of Ayn al-Arab, adding that three explosions rocked that city, when three IS suicide bombers detonated three car bombs in different areas, mainly on the border point between Ayn al-Arab and Turkey.
The IS surprise attack against Ayn al-Arab has sent the chill down the civilians' spines there, as the IS had overran the city before and was forcibly dislodged out of the city five months ago.
Observers said the IS wanted to storm Ayn al-Arab to revenge the losses it has recently suffered at the hands of Kurdish fighters in predominantly Kurdish areas in northern Syria.
Over the past few days, the YPG and allied rebel groups stripped the IS of several towns and areas in the northern countryside of the IS de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria, pushing the IS to call for back-up forces to fortify its positions in the city of Raqqa.
Reports said the YPG and affiliated rebel groups are only 30 km from central Raqqa.
[Source: Xinhua, Damascus, 26Jun15]
Donate
Radio Nizkor
 | This document has been published on 29Jun15 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |