Islamic state militants killed dozens of people execution style in attacks on government-held areas in Syria’s city of Deir Ezzor on Saturday, a source and a monitoring said. Once again Islamic State atrocities claim more innocent lives.
A source close to the Syrian government side said the Islamic State fighters killed at least 250 people, including pro-government fighters and their families when they attacked the neighborhoods of Begayliya and Ayash in the city.
He said some of the casualties were beheaded.
Activists on the ground who monitor the violence in the country through a wide network of local sources, said the militants killed dozens.
We have 60 people confirmed killed, but the number is big. The details are hard to get so far but the deaths are in dozens.
A Syrian source said the group “committed a massacre among the civilians.”
He said the army repelled the attacks and killed a large number of the attackers.
“They sent six suicide bombers first and they tried to break into military positions but they failed.”
The hardline group fighters had infiltrated the northwestern side of the city and carried out several attacks.
Islamic State group is in control of most of the eastern province while the government is holding parts of the city including a military airport.
Deir Ezzor province links Islamic State’s de facto capital in Raqqa with territory controlled by the group in Iraq.
Government-held areas in the city had been under siege by Islamic State fighters for more than a year and more than 200,000 people there are living in dire conditions lacking food and medicine.
The Syrian source said that the group has been trying to attack the city almost on daily basis and on Saturday it carried out several assaults.”
Islamic state supporters on social media said the group had also captured an army weapons depot and seized tanks.
Barack Obama called the Islamic State a Junior Varsity terror group.
Reuters contributed to this article.
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