IS attack claims 18 lives during truffle picking in Syrian desert

International Desk: At least 18 people were killed in an IS attack while collecting truffles in the desert in Syria. More than fifty people are missing. They lost their lives in a suspected Islamic State (IS) attack while gathering truffles in the desert. However, other sources reported more casualties. BBC news. At least 18 people have been killed by suspected Islamic State (IS) group gunmen in the Syrian desert, a monitoring group said.

The victims were gathering truffles in the desert when they were attacked. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, said more than 50 people were missing since the attack in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor. Syria's pro-government al-Mayadeen TV says at least 47 people were killed in the attack. On the other hand, the Kurdish North Press News Agency reported that about 40 people, including women and children, were killed in the attack. Earlier last year, a number of Syrian truffle hunters were killed in several gun attacks. IS was widely blamed for those attacks and casualties, but the terrorist group has not claimed responsibility for the attacks. The desert truffle is actually an edible fungus that grows in arid areas and is a highly prized food. Truffles sell for up to $35 per kilogram in the war-torn Middle Eastern country. Where the minimum monthly wage of the people of the country is about 14 US dollars and approximately 90 percent of the people of the country live below the poverty line.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, citing its sources, confirmed Wednesday's attack killed 18 people, including four members of the pro-government paramilitary National Defense Force (NDF). IS gunmen opened fire on a group of truffle hunters in Kobajib, a desert area south of Deir al-Zor province, the group said. This led to a clash between gunmen and NDF fighters and 12 vehicles were burnt. On the other hand, North Press from Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria, citing relatives of several truffle hunters and medical sources, said 40 civilians, including four NDF fighters, were killed.

The report also said the attack was believed to have been carried out by IS, although there was no immediate claim by the group. IS once controlled 88,000 square km (34,000 sq mi) of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq and imposed its brutal rule on some 8 million people. Despite the group's military defeat in Syria in 2019, the United Nations has warned that IS and its affiliates remain a high threat.