Five British soldiers were killed in a rocket strike launched by Islamic State militants in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, state media reports, citing sources on the ground. It comes days after two UK troops were injured in fighting there.
Rockets launched by IS (formerly ISIS/ISIL) hit the village of Al-Shaafah, in the Abu Kamal district of Deir ez-Zor province, RT reported citing the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan.
The British soldiers were part of an international coalition operating in the area, which is the portion of Euphrates River valley near the Iraqi border where the militants still hold territory.
Several more soldiers were injured and airlifted to the coalition hospital in Hasakah, in northeastern Syria, according to Al-Watan.
If confirmed, this would be the second IS attack on British troops in Syria in days. On Sunday, two soldiers were reportedly injured and one member of the western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was killed in an IS rocket attack.
