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SDF Denies ISIS Presence in Afrin, Acknowledges Foreign Fighters in its Ranks

Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
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SDF Denies ISIS Presence in Afrin, Acknowledges Foreign Fighters in its Ranks

Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)

The Syrian Democratic Forces denied on Wednesday Turkish military claims that the ISIS terrorist group was present in the Afrin region in northern Syria where it has been waging a military offensive against Kurdish factions.

“The whole world knows ISIS is not present in Afrin,” Redur Xelil, a senior SDF official, told Reuters.

He said the Turkish military had greatly exaggerated SDF casualties, though he declined to say how many had been killed.

The Turkish army had announced on Tuesday that at least 260 People’s Protection Units and ISIS members had died in the offensive that it launched last week.

Xelil said that the SDF had killed dozens of Turkish soldiers and their allies in the Free Syrian Army. He declined however from giving an exact figure.

In addition, he revealed that foreign fighters, including Americans, Britons and Germans, were fighting with the Kurdish factions against the Turkish offensive.

Meanwhile, a US official expected President Donald Trump to contact his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday to express his concern about Ankara’s Afrin operation.

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Death Toll in Damascus Church Attack Rises to 25

People and rescuers inspect the damage at the site of a reported suicide attack at the Saint Elias church in Damascus' Dweila area on June 22, 2025. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
People and rescuers inspect the damage at the site of a reported suicide attack at the Saint Elias church in Damascus' Dweila area on June 22, 2025. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
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Death Toll in Damascus Church Attack Rises to 25

People and rescuers inspect the damage at the site of a reported suicide attack at the Saint Elias church in Damascus' Dweila area on June 22, 2025. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)
People and rescuers inspect the damage at the site of a reported suicide attack at the Saint Elias church in Damascus' Dweila area on June 22, 2025. (Photo by Bakr ALKASEM / AFP)

The death toll from a suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus on Sunday has risen to 25, Syria's state news agency SANA reported on Monday citing the country's health ministry.

It was the first suicide bombing in Damascus since Bashar al-Assad was toppled by opposition factions in December.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber in Syria opened fire then detonated an explosive vest inside a Greek Orthodox church filled with people praying, killing and wounding many.

The attack took place in Dweila on the outskirts of Damascus inside the Mar Elias Church, according to state media SANA.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two men were involved in the attack, including the one who blew himself up.