ISIS Claims Responsibility for Killing 40 Syrian Soldiers in Bus Attack

ISIS claimed responsibility for the bus attack which took place in Syria, late Wednesday, killing about 40 Syrian soldiers and wounding six others, Amaq News Agency reported on Thursday.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said 40 soldiers died in the attack, carried out by ISIS, in Deir Ezzor province.

SOHR mentioned the soldiers were ambushed as they were travelling home for holidays, adding that another two buses, that were part of the convoy, managed to escape.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Observatory, said the bus was attacked near the village of Shula by extremist fighters; they detonated roadside bombs before opening fire on the soldiers who belonged to the army's elite 4th pision.

There has been a rise in recent months of ambushes and hit-and-run attacks by ISIS militants who hide in caves in the mainly desert region, according to Deir Ezzor residents and intelligence sources quoted by Reuters.