Aleppo [Syria], February 18: Dozens of civilians were killed while hunting truffles in central Syria, suspected of being attacked by the Islamic State group (IS).
AFP news agency on February 18 reported that at least 53 people were killed in an attack in central Syria suspected of being carried out by the Islamic State group (IS).
"Citizens searching for truffles were killed in an attack by ISIS terrorists in the town of Al-Sokhna in eastern Homs province on February 17," Syrian state television reported .
Palmyra Hospital director Walid Audi said the dead included 46 civilians and seven soldiers. Their bodies were taken to the hospital.
Many people, including women and children, have been targeted by IS in recent years while hunting for truffles in central, northeastern and eastern Syria.
According to an organization in Syria, 16 people, mostly civilians, were killed on February 18 in the same area, in addition to dozens of people kidnapped. Of those, 25 were released, but the fate of the rest is unknown.
In April 2021, IS kidnapped 19 people in Hama province in a similar attack. After being defeated by the US-led coalition in March 2019, IS fighters in Syria mostly retreated to the desert to hide.
In another development, US Central Command ( CENTCOM ) said on February 17 that an explosion injured four US service members while conducting a raid operation to kill a senior leader of IS.
"Last night, during a raid conducted by the US and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria, a targeted explosion injured four service members and one military dog," according to a statement by CENTCOM. .
IS leader Hamza al-Homsi was killed, and wounded soldiers and dogs are being treated at a US medical facility in Iraq. IS has not yet commented on these incidents.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper
