Daesh hits US-backed Syrian rebel base near Iraq border

BEIRUT — Daesh terror group suicide bombers on Sunday attacked a military base for US-backed fighters near the Syrian-Iraqi border, leaving several dead before blowing themselves up, rebel sources and the militants said on Sunday.

They said the dawn attack on the heavily defended military camp near the Syrian Al Tanf border crossing with Iraq involved at least one explosive-laden vehicle that rammed the gate of the base which was set up by the fledgling, Pentagon-trained New Syria Army.

Another rebel said the militants were not able to storm the heavily fortified camp where large sand barriers have been erected to prevent such incursions and attacks in an area where the militants operate with hit and run attacks.

"It's a well defended camp and they tried to storm it but the suicide vehicle was targeted and hit," said Said Seif Al Qalamoni, a rebel familiar with operating in the same area. He added that there were at least one dead and several wounded.

Qalamoni said jets from the US-led coalition against Daesh shortly after struck at several vehicles believed to be driven by the militants in the sparsely populated desert area.

Amaq, a news agency affiliated to Daesh, said two suicide bombers had attacked the camp and detonated an explosive-laden car before storming the compound and detonating their suicide vests.

The New Syria Army was formed around 18 months ago using insurgents driven from eastern Syria at the height of Daesh’s rapid expansion in 2014.

The Tanf crossing, which was captured from Daesh militants last year, is a 240 km drive from Syria's ancient city of Palmyra, also known as Tadmur.