ISIS Defeats American-Supported Troops in Attempt to Oust Terrorists from Hajin

Utilizing suicide bombers as tactical weapons, forces belonging to the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces were soundly defeated by ISIS fighters as they sought to dislodge the terrorist group’s holdouts in Hajin, in eastern Syria. At least 68 SDF troops died in the skirmish according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, and more than 100 were wounded. A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition blamed a sandstorm for providing cover for ISIS fighters to mount a counter-assault against SDF. It is estimated that having sustained almost 500 casualties, about 1,000 ISIS gunmen remain holed-up in the Hajin area, surviving an operation aimed at removing them that began in September. Hajin is one of only two areas where ISIS remains in Syria