A 20-year-old man was killed in an explosion in the eastern Syrian town of Al-Shahil this Saturday. The detonation near the Al-Hussia intersection was caused by a mine that the victim had apparently stepped on. The explosive device was planted on the premises of a school, presumably by sleeper cells of the jihadist terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS). The victim was identified as Suhail Yusef Al-Ahmad Al-Tamer. Demining teams from the SDF are currently back in action to search the area for more explosive devices.

Deir ez-Zor was last rocked by a deadly attack last Tuesday. In it, the co-chairman of the Al-Kabir village council, Khalaf al-Najm, was killed by a remotely detonated limpet mine attached to his vehicle. About a month earlier, the chairman of the Al-Kabir Security Forces Directorate was assassinated in his home.

Deir ez-Zor in crosshairs of cells

The Deir ez-Zor region is considered highly dangerous. The so-called IS has networks in the area supported by both Turkish and Syrian intelligence. Both powers have an interest in destabilizing the region and breaking up. Thus, in recent months and years, there have been repeated assassinations of tribal leaders and important figures in the region who work with the self-government.