Pro-government fighters attack areas of US-backed fighters in east Syria; 2 killed

Associated Press

QAMISHLI, Syria (AP) — Fighters backed by Iran and the Syrian government have attacked areas controlled by U.S.-backed fighters in eastern Syria. At least two people have been killed and others have been wounded. Wednesday’s clashes in Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour that borders Iraq came amid high tension in the region following last week’s killings in Lebanon and Iran that were blamed on Israel. Kurdish-led authorities imposed an open-ended curfew in areas they control on the east bank of the Euphrates River as the clashes continued. The clashes in east Syria are the most intense in nearly a year in areas where hundreds of U.S. troops have been deployed since 2015 to help in the fight against the Islamic State group.