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On March 23, terrorists believed to be members of ISIS killed 15 people who were hunting for truffles in Syria’s central region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The London-based monitor said that the victims were a part of a group that included dozens of truffle hunters. The terrorists ambushed the group between the areas of Jurf Marina and Hariba to the east of the town of Salamiyah in the eastern Hama countryside.
The victims were all slaughtered. Seven of them were civilians, while the remaining eight were tribal fighters who were apparently guarding the group.
“More than 40 other people face an unknown fate, as they are still missing since the crime occurred,” the SOHR said in its report.
The Syrian military deployed large reinforcements in the eastern Hama countryside after the terrorist attack to secure Salamiyah and nearby areas.
ISIS cells in central Syria stepped up their attacks against government forces and civilians in the region in the last few months.
At least 101 civilians have been killed by terrorists in the central region since the start of the year. The vast majority of the victims were truffle hunters, shepherds or travelers. ISIS didn’t claim responsibility for any of the recent attacks, which its terrorists clearly carried out to loot and plunder.
In the wake of the recent attacks, government forces and their allies deployed additional troops in different parts of the central region. The Russian Aerospace Forces also resumed airstrikes on ISIS’s areas of influence. However, no major operation has been launched against the terrorist group, yet.
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