'Islamic State' in triple suicide attack on Syrian Kurds Published duration 11 December 2015

The so-called Islamic State (IS) says it was behind a triple suicide attack against Kurdish forces in Syria's Hassakeh province.

The attacks, carried out on Thursday, killed at least 22 people and wounded 120, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

In a statement posted on social media, IS said it had targeted Kurdish fighters in the attack in Tal Tamr.

IS said three of its militants had used "powerful explosives" to blow themselves up in Thursday's attack.

The blast caused "massive damage", said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the SOHR.

One of the bombs exploded outside a hospital, while another was detonated in a residential area near a post manned by Kurdish security forces, he added.

Hassakeh province is strategically important in the fight against IS because it borders both Turkey and areas controlled by the group in Iraq.