Islamic State Group Carries Out Deadly Attacks on Truffle Hunters in Central Syria

Islamic State (IS) militants have carried out their deadliest attacks in over a year in central Syria, killing dozens of civilians and security officers. The attacks targeted Syrian civilians hunting truffles in the desert. The militants emerged from the desert to abduct them, killing some and ransoming others for money.

On 11 February, IS fighters kidnapped about 75 truffle hunters outside the town of Palmyra, killing 16 and leaving the rest missing. Six days later, on Friday, they attacked a group of truffle hunters outside the desert town of Sukhna, killing at least 61 civilians and seven soldiers, with many more missing. Smaller attacks around the area killed 12 other people.

The area is far from the northern regions devastated by the 6 February earthquake that killed more than 46,000 people in Turkey and Syria. However, IS fighters took advantage of the earthquake to send a message that the organisation is still present.

The recent attacks have been the deadliest since January 2022 when IS gunmen stormed a prison in the northeastern city of Hassakeh that held some 3,000 militants and juveniles. Ten days of battles between the militants and US-backed fighters left nearly 500 dead.

The prison attack raised fears IS was staging a comeback, but it was followed by a series of blows against the group, which reverted to its drumbeat of smaller-scale shootings and bombings. It is too early to say if the new spate of attacks marks a resurgence.

IS militants have found refuge in the remote deserts of Syria’s interior and along the Iraqi-Syrian border. From there, they lash out against civilians and security forces in both countries. However, they are hemmed in by opponents on all sides: Syrian government troops as well as Kurdish-led fighters who control eastern Syria and are backed by US forces. American raids with their Kurdish-led allies have repeatedly killed or caught IS leaders and, earlier this month, killed two senior IS figures.

The newest IS leader, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi, may be trying to show his strength with the latest attacks. Abdullah Suleiman Ali, a Syrian researcher who focuses on jihadi groups, said the leader's pseudonym indicates that he must take measures to prove himself within the organization.

US troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have eliminated a series of senior IS figures this month, according to the US military. However, IS remains a threat, according to UN, US and Kurdish officials. It is estimated to have about 10,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.