US-backed forces have repelled a raid by the Islamic State group targeting barracks housing American and French troops in eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Saturday.
The Syrian Democratic Forces and the US-led coalition supporting them were on high alert after the raid late Friday at the Omar oil field in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, the Britain-based war monitor said.
"The attack targeted the oil field's housing, where US-led coalition forces and leaders of the Syrian Democratic Forces are present," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Seven jihadists were killed in the attack, which ended at dawn after clashes near the barracks, he added.
Two civilians were also killed by the SDF, local activist Taj al-Alow told Zaman al-Wasl.
In October last year, the SDF took control of the Omar oil field, one of the largest in Syria, which according to The Syria Report economic weekly had a pre-war output of 30,000 barrels per day.
"It's the largest attack of its kind since the oil field was turned into a coalition base" following its capture by the SDF, Abdel Rahman said.
The US-led coalition dropped leaflets on last Daesh pockets in Deir Ezzor province, urging ISIS militants to surrender otherwise their death is inevitable.
The leaflets have also demanded residents of Daesh areas to leave.
More than 3000 civilians have been killed by the US and allied international parties in a year.
Daesh lost most of its territory in Syria last year, but retained some remote desert areas and has attacked the army and allied forces in recent weeks. The coalition also recently restarted its own campaign against the militant group in Syria.
In relevant development, the Executive Head of Syrian Democratic Council said the SDF might merge in the regime forces after she revealed her top meeting with Bashar al-Assad that took place in Damascus two weeks ago.
Ilham Ahmed told BBC Arabic on Saturday that the US-backed forces would join the Syrian regime forces in the future.
The statement followed first declared visit to the capital by members of the SDF, which controls roughly a quarter of Syria.
The political wing of the SDF went to Damascus two weeks for a second round of talks with the regime, Reuters reported.
The visits highlight efforts by the Kurdish-led authorities to open new channels to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as they seek to negotiate a political deal that keeps their autonomy within Syria.
The SDC insists on preserving its structure of governance and self-rule in any future elections, he said.
The SDF seized swathes of land with U.S. help, though Washington opposes their ambitions of autonomy. The region they control spreads across much of northern and eastern Syria, rich in farmland, oil, and water.
The Assad regime says the U.S. forces are occupiers. For the first time, Assad said in May that he was “opening doors” for talks with the SDF, but also threatened force and said the Americans would leave one way or another.
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