Suspected IS militants kill 7 Syrians at Ramadan iftar meal

BEIRUT (AP) — Militants from the Islamic State group have attacked a Ramadan gathering hosted by a former official of a U.S.-backed group in eastern Syria, killing seven people and wounding four. The Wednesday night attack in the Abu Khashab area in Deir el-Zour province targeted the home of a former spokesman with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Euphrates Post news website. The gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire as the group was having an iftar — the fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan — at the home of former SDF spokesman who was killed. IS has claimed responsibility for the attack.