Syria landmine explosion kills 19 searching for truffles
- The blast that hit the vehicle of the truffle searchers happened in a desert area known as a hideout for jihadists
- The desert truffles fetch high prices in a country battered by 13 years of war and an economic crisis
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Between February and April each year, hundreds of impoverished Syrians risk their lives searching for truffles in the vast Syrian Desert, or Badia – a known hideout for jihadists that is also littered with mines.
The Britain-based Observatory said the truck was carrying more than 20 civilians who were searching for desert truffles, which fetch high prices in a country battered by 13 years of war and a crushing economic crisis.
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Recent weeks have seen repeated deadly mine blasts as Syrians hunt for truffles. Authorities have frequently warned against the high-risk practice.
Earlier this month, gunmen thought to be linked to IS killed 18 people, mostly civilians, in a desert attack on a group of truffle hunters, the Observatory reported.
Last month, state media said a landmine left by IS killed 14 people foraging for truffles in the Raqa desert.
In March 2019, IS lost its last scraps of territory in Syria following a military campaign backed by a US-led coalition but jihadist remnants continue to hide in the desert and launch deadly attacks.
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Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes hit several sites in southern Syria early Sunday wounding a soldier, Syrian state media reported.
State news agency SANA, citing an unnamed military official, said air defences shot down some of the missiles, which came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at around 12.42am local time.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
