Syria: Suspected IS Attack Kills at Least 18 Truffle Hunters

Facts

• A suspected Islamic State group (IS) attack near the Syrian desert town of Kobajib in the country's eastern province of Deir al-Zour claimed the lives of at least 18 people on Wednesday, with some news outlets reporting up to 47 dead and over 50 missing.¹
• During truffle gathering season, villagers venture into the desert in large groups to collect the delicacy, exposing themselves to the danger of IS attacks, as the group reportedly has active sleeper cells in the country's desert region.²
• The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the deceased included four members of the National Defense Forces, adding the attack coincided with violent clashes between government forces and IS militants in nearby areas.³
• Last month, Syrian-state news agency SANA reported that 14 truffle hunters were killed and eight others injured by an IS landmine that exploded while they were collecting truffles in the Raqa desert.⁴
• In February 2023, IS militants reportedly killed dozens of civilians and pro-government fighters in an attack on truffle hunters in the Syrian desert.⁵

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²FOX News, ³Syriahr, ⁴DAWN.COM and ⁵Voice of America.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by PressTV. Every year, the government says the same thing — avoid truffle hunting in specific regions due to the high likelihood of IS attacks or landmines. Though opposition media like the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights aren't reliable, even those who support the terrorists in Syria recognize the barbarity of attacking poor villagers focused on making a living.
• Narrative B, as provided by The National. The Syrian government is also guilty of the deaths of the truffle hunters. The war's destruction and the government's inability to shore up the economy have forced many rural Syrians, who were already impoverished, to make dangerous journeys into the desert to collect one of the only viable resources they can exploit to earn a living.