ISIS attack kills 11 truffle hunters in Syrian desert: Monitor

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 11 truffle hunters were killed in an attack by the Islamic State (ISIS) near Raqqa, a war monitor reported on Sunday, adding that three others were kidnapped. 

Hundreds of poverty-stricken Syrians venture into the desert between February and April each year in search of truffles, despite repeated warnings from authorities. 

The desert is known to be a hideout of jihadists and contains landmines, making it a high-risk area to search for the delicacy. However, it is known for producing some of the highest quality truffles in the world that can fetch up to $25 per kilogram in a country where the average monthly wage is only around $18.

“At least 11 people were killed due to the explosion of a landmine to a car carrying them, while searching for truffle” in the desert near Raqqa, UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. 

The attackers then opened fire “using machine guns,” the monitor added. 

According to SOHR, among the victims are two civilians and nine members of the National Defense Forces (NDF), a pro-government militia that has fought alongside President Bashar al-Assad since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war.

On Saturday, five people were killed in an ISIS attack on pro-regime militia and civilians hunting for truffles in the same area.

ISIS rose to power and seized swathes of Iraqi and Syrian land in a brazen offensive in 2014, declaring a so-called “caliphate.” While the group was declared territorially defeated in 2019, it still continues to pose serious security risks through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions, especially across the vast expanses of the Syrian desert as well as several Iraqi provinces.