Syria: Death toll in IS attacks rises to 250 overnight
The death toll in Islamic State group suicide bombings and shootings in southern Syria rose to nearly 250 overnight, over half of them civilians. Yesterday's attacks hit Sweida, a Druze-majority province in south Syria, which had remained relatively insulated from the civil war. "The toll is now 246 people dead, including 135 civilians," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said.
Toll keeps rising as wounded civilians die, missing found dead
The death toll climbed steadily throughout the day and into the night, the Observatory said. Apart from civilians, those killed were pro-government fighters or residents who had taken up arms to defend their villages. "The toll keeps rising as civilians who were wounded are dying and people who were unaccounted for are found dead," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Blasts were followed by shootings, 45 jihadists died too
The onslaught began with a triple suicide bombing in the city of Sweida, which was followed by attacks with guns and explosives on villages to its north and east. A fourth blast hit the provincial capital later in the day. IS claimed the assault hours later. At least 45 jihadists died carrying out the attacks, the Observatory said.
