Date: Feb 5, 2019 Source: The Daily Star Activists: Civilians killed fleeing Daesh-held area in Syria Associated Press BEIRUT: Syrian opposition activists said Monday U.S.-backed Syrian fighters have killed nine civilians, including six children, who were trying to flee the last area controlled by Daesh (ISIS) in eastern Syria. It was not immediately clear whether the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces was behind the shooting that killed the three women and six children in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor. An SDF spokesman did not immediately respond to request for comment. The SDF has captured, with U.S. military support, wide areas in eastern Syria from Daesh. More than 30,000 civilians, Daesh militants and their families have fled zones controlled by the extremists and many have been moved to a tent settlement in northeastern Syria. Months of fighting have left hundreds of civilians and fighters dead on both sides. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the incident occurred Saturday night, adding that the gunfire came from SDF positions. It said the civilians had paid money to smugglers to take them out of the area controlled by the extremists. The DeirEzzor 24, an activist collective, said the incident occurred near Tanak oil field, which is close to the front line between Daesh and the SDF, blaming the Kurdish-led force for the shooting. The SDF said in a statement Monday it captured three foreign Daesh members - a German, a Saudi Arabian and an Egyptian - on Feb. 1. The Kurdish-led force is holding more than 700 non-Syrian Daesh militants from more than 40 countries. Few have been returned to their home nations.