Islamic State kills three truffle hunters in Syria

The Islamic State (IS) reportedly killed three truffle hunters on Tuesday, a war watchdog said. The group continues to carry out attacks in Syria, despite no longer holding any territory. 

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that “likely” Islamic State gunmen attacked a group of young men searching for truffles north of Palmyra in central Syria. Three of the men were killed before the assailants fled, according to the observatory. 

Why it matters: Truffles are a type of mushroom. Many Syrians pick truffles with the aim of selling them. The Syrian economy has been struggling for years due to the effects of the war, government mismanagement and US sanctions. The Syrian news outlet Enab Baladi called truffles an “irreplaceable” income opportunity in eastern Syria due to the rising cost of living in a February report. 

Hunting for truffles carries numerous security risks, and the Islamic State has killed civilians while they were searching for the mushrooms a few times recently. On Feb. 17, Syrian state media reported that IS killed 53 people hunting for truffles east of Homs in central Syria. On March 23, IS killed 15 truffle hunters in a knife attack outside of Hama, also in central Syria, according to the observatory.

Truffle hunters also run the risk of stepping on unexploded mines. 

Know more: The Islamic State has been particularly active in central Syria’s “Badia” desert, as well as parts of northeast Syria controlled by the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the past year. IS fighters claimed credit for at least three deadly attacks against the SDF in the region during the second half of 2022. IS also claimed credit for killing two Syrian soldiers in northern Syria’s Resafa in December, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 

Several other suspected IS attacks remain unclaimed. 

The SDF and the US-led coalition continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State in the region. The SDF killed two IS suicide bombers in Hasakah last week.