Islamic State kills four security personnel in Syria

Islamic State militants killed four Syrian government security personnel in northern Syria on Monday, the Syrian state news agency reported, in what would be the group's deadliest attack on government forces since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.



The assault on a checkpoint west of Raqqa city underlined an escalation in attacks by the jihadist group against President Ahmed al-Sharaa's government, two days after the jihadist group declared "a new phase of operations" against it.



Islamic State issued no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attack. On Saturday, the group claimed two attacks targeting Syrian army personnel in northern and eastern Syria, in ​which a Syrian soldier and a civilian were killed.



The Syrian state news agency said forces foiled Monday's attack ​and killed one of the militants. It quoted a security source as saying Islamic State carried out the attack.