Four suspected IS members killed in airstrike in Syria

Four people believed to be Islamic State (IS) group members were killed on Sunday in an airstrike in northern Syria.

The strike near the city of Raqqa, the former IS 'capital' was carried out by international coalition forces and supported by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), The New Arab's Arabic sister service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

An SDF military source said the strike was accompanied by clashes with a group believed to be affiliated with IS, resulting in the deaths of four people, including a leader.

Three of them were from Raqqa province and the other was from Deir Az-Zour.

On Friday, US-led international coalition forces killed an IS member in a drone attack while he was passing through on a motorcycle in the Al-Shaddadi area, under SDF control in Hasakah province.

The countryside of Raqqa province has in recent days seen widespread SDF raid and arrest campaigns, centred on the towns of Al-Akirshi and Ratla, after increasing attacks on their members in the area.

All those arrested have been accused of affiliation or cooperation with IS.

IS proclaimed a so-called caliphate in 2014 and formerly controlled large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

The extremist group, which has since been territorially defeated, continues to carry out smaller-scale attacks in Syria and Iraq.