Widespread ISIS Attacks in Southern Syria; Casualties Exceed 200

Coordinated and extensive attacks by ISIS on predominantly Druze areas in Suwayda province have resulted in over 200 deaths. According to reports, such a high casualty figure in a single day in Suwayda has not been recorded since the start of the Syrian civil war. A senior health official in Suwayda stated that a total of 215 people have been killed and 180 injured. At least 75 ISIS members were also killed during the clashes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London, reports that more than 221 people have been killed, with Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the organization, telling AFP that 127 of the deceased are civilians. Members of the so-called Islamic State launched simultaneous attacks on several villages and the northeastern part of the city of Suwayda on August 3. In the city itself, at least two suicide bombers detonated themselves, with one explosion occurring near a market. Russian state news agency reports that two other ISIS members were shot and killed before they could detonate their explosives. According to the Associated Press, in addition to armed forces supporting Bashar al-Assad's government, local residents also took up arms and engaged in clashes with ISIS members. This attack is reported to be the deadliest in Suwayda in a single day since the onset of the Syrian civil war. Reuters states that the Suwayda attacks are among the deadliest ISIS has carried out in a single day in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also noted that this attack is one of the bloodiest in all of Syria. The residents of Suwayda are mainly Syrian Druze citizens. This area has largely been spared from the consequences of the seven-year-long civil war in Syria. Images circulated on social media show angry citizens hanging the bodies of the killed ISIS members in the streets. International news agencies say they are unable to verify the images, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirms their authenticity. Reports have emerged that members of the so-called Islamic State have kidnapped dozens of residents from the villages they attacked. Sultan Bou Ammar, a resident of the Shabiki village, told the Associated Press that they 'took 40 people, all women and children.' The Syrian civil war began eight years ago after the suppression of largely peaceful protests against the government. This war has left over 400,000 dead and destroyed vast areas of Syria's economic and civil infrastructure. ISIS, one of the extremist groups that emerged during this war, once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq but has now lost most of its territorial gains.