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A Syrian war monitor reported three deadly incidents involving the Islamic State (IS) on Sunday, and another on Saturday. IS is experiencing a resurgence in Syria as of late, and US and allied Syrian forces are continuing to target the group.
What happened: The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Sunday that IS had killed 36 people east of Hama in central Syria. Seventeen of those killed were members of the pro-government National Defense Forces militia, while 19 were civilians.
Syria’s official SANA news agency also reported the attack, putting the death toll at 26.
Five shepherds were killed by IS in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria. Another two decomposed bodies were also found in the province, SOHR reported on Sunday.
On Saturday, SOHR reported that gunmen believed to be part of IS had killed three government security forces near an oil well in Raqqa province in northern Syria.
These locations are all desert areas.
Why it matters: IS never ceased activities in Syria after losing its final territory in 2019, but there have been a particularly high number of attacks this year. Hunting for truffles, which provide important income for people in the war-ravaged country, has become particularly dangerous due to IS attacks. The following is a list of attacks on truffle hunters that have been attributed to IS in 2023:
- Feb. 17: SANA reported that IS killed 53 people hunting for truffles east of Homs in central Syria.
- March 23: IS killed 15 truffle hunters in a knife attack outside of Hama, also in central Syria, according to SOHR.
- April 11: SOHR said “likely” IS gunmen killed three truffle hunters north of Palmyra in central Syria.
The Rojava Information Center, based in northeast Syria, documented 20 “sleeper cell” attacks in the region in March, up from 10 in February. Five of the attacks in March were claimed by IS. IS is able to acquire funding through a variety of means, according to the center.
“The terrorist group sought funding by extorting oil investors, threatened bakeries and publicly threatened four individuals in a poster campaign,” read the Rojava Information Center report. “The threats towards bakeries are most likely attempts to gain sympathy among the population; the quality of bread has been a topic of dispute repeatedly.”
Know more: US special forces killed an IS leader in northern Syria early Monday morning, Al-Monitor’s Jared Szuba reported.
The US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces also continue to target IS in northeast Syria. The Rojava Information Center reported four SDF raids in March. The US military reported in early April that the SDF had killed two IS suicide bombers in Hasakah.
