1 year ago
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ARTICLE AD BOX
Image source, Getty Images
IS is known to maintain hideouts in the Syrian desert, from which they frequently launch attacks on civilians.
At least 31 people searching for valuable truffles in the Syrian desert have been killed by the Islamic State (IS) group, human rights activists have said.
Civilians and military personnel were among the victims of the armed attack.
IS militants have repeatedly preyed on those searching for the mushrooms, with more than 150 people killed this year.
A kilogram of the fungus can fetch more than the country's average monthly wage.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which relies on a wide network of sources on the ground in Syria, said "civilians and at least 12 pro-regime fighters" were among those killed in the attack east of the city of Hama.
Searching for the truffles is extremely dangerous as hunters contend with landmines and IS fighters maintain hideouts in the desert where they grow.
But many who face poverty and unemployment exacerbated by Syria's war risk the dangers as the fungus can sell for up to US$25 (£20) per kg depending on size and grade in a country where the average monthly wage is around $18 (£14).
The window of time in which to make money is small as the truffle season only lasts from February to April.
There have been several attacks on foragers in recent months, with women and children among the victims.
Last month, 15 truffle hunters were killed in central Syria, according to the SOHR. Dozens of others were also reported to have gone missing.
Another incident in February saw dozens of people massacred in an ambush in the western region of Homs, carried out by gunmen who suddenly appeared out of the desert on motorbikes.
Days earlier, sixteen people, mostly civilians, were killed in a similar attack targeting foragers in the same area.
A 12-year-long civil war has ravaged parts of the country that remain under the control of rebels, who are battling the government of President Bashar al-Assad. His government is under Western sanctions after pro-democracy demonstrations which broke out in 2011 were met by deadly force from the government and led to the prostrated conflict.
The Syrian conflict has left half a million people dead, devastated cities, and drawn in other countries.
In 2014, the jihadist group Islamic State seized large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, imposing its brutal rule on almost eight million people.
The group was driven from its last piece of territory in 2019, but the UN has warned that it remains a persistent threat.
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