In Syrian desert, ISIS lives on stolen livestock
A group of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants has succeeded in taking root and growing in the Syrian desert.
The official Syrian
news agency, SANA, quoted some locals as saying that this group started having
presence in the desert three months ago.
Syria's Democratic
Forces also said in a statement that a large number of ISIS militants are now
living in the desert.
It added in a
statement that the militants terrorize locals and burglarize homes in the area.
ISIS kidnapped 19
people on April 6, including a policeman, after staging a bloody attack on
areas in the Syrian desert, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights.
Targeting
shepherds
It said ISIS is
especially targeting shepherds in the area for unknown reasons.
In March, a group of
ISIS militants killed a shepherd in Hama and wounded three others. The
militants also bore off 400 sheep, the observatory said.
It noted that ISIS
also killed four shepherds in Hama as well a day earlier. The observatory said
the ISIS militants shot directly at the heads of the shepherds.
The killing of the
Shepherds usually takes place in the spring, the observatory said.
This happens when the
shepherds go out to find food for their livestock, it added.
It said ISIS steals
sheep and livestock to secure its food supply, especially in desert areas in
Syria.
Syria has around
80,000 square kilometers of desert. ISIS is reverting to the desert to ensure
its survival.
