Two members of the Syrian army were killed on Friday evening, March 6, after a shooting attack targeted them on the Aleppo–al-Bab highway near the village of Abed in northern Aleppo countryside (northern Syria). The attack was later claimed by the Islamic State group.
The Media and Communication Administration at the Syrian Ministry of Defense told the state-run al-Ikhbariya channel that two army soldiers were killed in the attack.
According to information obtained by Enab Baladi, the victims were brothers Mahmoud and Mohammad al-Ahmad bin Asaad, from the village of Tal Maksour in the Aleppo countryside.
The two were reportedly on their way to spend leave with their families when they were attacked by gunmen shortly before the evening iftar meal.
The Ministry of Defense said the relevant authorities have launched investigations to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify those responsible.
Islamic State claims responsibility
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in an official statement published through its propaganda agency, Amaq.
In the statement, reviewed by Enab Baladi on March 6, the group said its fighters targeted two members of what it described as the “apostate Syrian army.”
The statement said the attack took place on the Aleppo–al-Bab road near the village of Abed, referring to the same incident previously announced by the Syrian Ministry of Defense that resulted in the death of the two soldiers.
It added that the attack was carried out “with machine guns,” confirming the killing of the targeted soldiers.
The announcement followed an earlier statement issued on February 27, in which the Islamic State claimed responsibility for killing a Syrian army member in the village of Tiyarah, affiliated with the town of Hraytan in the Aleppo countryside (northern Syria).
Rising wave of assassinations
The incident comes as part of a series of assassination operations targeting members of the Syrian Ministry of Defense in recent weeks, with recurring patterns suggesting the involvement of Islamic State sleeper cells in many of the attacks.
A few days earlier, the northeastern Aleppo countryside witnessed a similar incident, when two members of the Syrian army’s 86th Division were killed by unidentified gunmen in the town of al-Rai on Monday evening, March 2.
According to information obtained by Enab Baladi, the victims were Abdullah Ismail and Mohammad Othman, both from the village of Jazraya, south of Aleppo. They were targeted at the Arfad roundabout inside the town.
Increased operations after the audio message
The recent escalation in the group’s activity coincides with calls issued by the Islamic State’s spokesperson, Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, in an audio recording released on February 21, the first message attributed to him after a two-year absence.
The recording focused on describing the Syrian government as “secular” and called for confronting it.
During February, Enab Baladi documented seven attacks claimed by the group targeting Syrian army members in the governorates of Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria), Raqqa (northern Syria), and Aleppo (northern Syria). Six of these attacks occurred after the audio message was released.
One of the most prominent attacks took place on February 23, when four soldiers were killed and three others injured in an assault on a security checkpoint in the town of al-Sabahiya west of Raqqa.
On February 27, the group also claimed responsibility for killing a Syrian army member in the village of Tiyarah in the Aleppo countryside.
Security sources say the Syrian army continues to reinforce security measures in the targeted areas to protect its personnel and prevent further attacks, amid warnings of increasing activity by armed groups in some rural regions and in the Syrian desert.
Islamic State claims attack in Aleppo as assaults escalate Enab Baladi.
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