Syria: Deaths and injuries in new ISIS attack in Eastern al-Raqqa

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
21 Mar 2024 23:50

ISIS attacks targeting truffle collectors in Syria continue for the sixth consecutive year, resulting in the death of three individuals, the injury of several others, and the disappearance of more in the eastern countryside of al-Raqqa.

An undated image of a truffle seller in Hama, eastern al-Raqqa, Syria (AFP)

The season of collecting "Kamouna" (truffles) in Syria has turned into a season of harvesting lives in several Syrian provinces, with a considerable number of casualties recorded for the sixth consecutive year. This is due to mine explosions or attacks by ISIS cells targeting gatherings of civilians who are known to be collecting truffles in search of their daily sustenance.

On Thursday, three people were killed and others were injured, with reports of others gone missing in the Hama area in the eastern countryside of Raqqa, less than a week after an incident in which 12 people, including 11 women and one child, were killed with others reportedly injured.

A local source confirmed to Al Mayadeen that "three civilians were killed, and others were injured or missing after being ambushed while collecting truffles in the eastern countryside of Raqqa, all from the village of Al-Maghla in the Raqqa countryside." The source also pointed out that "the armed group, believed to be ISIS cells, besieged the locals and opened fire directly on them, resulting in casualties and injuries."

Before those incidents, about 90 people were killed and others injured in attacks and explosions of mines and improvised explosive devices from the remnants of ISIS cells in various attacks in the Raqqa Valley, Deir Ezzor, Hama, and Homs.

During March and April, locals engage in the harvest and collection of truffles due to their abundance in the rainy season and their high price, which initially reached over 500,000 Syrian pounds (more than $35) before dropping to prices ranging from 250,000 to 500,000 Syrian pounds currently. This prompts locals to risk their lives by harvesting as much as possible and selling them in markets.

Groups of ISIS militants are scattered in the rugged areas deep in the Syrian desert, especially in the US-occupied Al-Tanf area carrying out repeated attacks on civilians and residential gatherings on the outskirts of the desert, especially during the truffle collection season, leading to the martyrdom and injury of many of them.