In a recent incident in the Syrian desert, Islamic State jihadists carried out an attack that resulted in the deaths of three fighters aligned with the Damascus government, according to a report from a monitoring organization focused on warfare. This event marks the most recent instance of such a lethal assault.
Islamic State jihadists killed three fighters loyal to the Damascus government in an attack in the Syrian desert on Tuesday, a war monitor said, the latest such deadly assault.
The IS members attacked “a munitions depot in the Palmyra area in the east of Homs province”, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“Three pro-regime fighters were killed” and eight others wounded, some in critical condition, said the Britain-based monitor, which has a network of sources inside Syria.
The attack “comes amid a considerable escalation of IS operations against regime forces in the Syrian desert”, known as the Badia, the Observatory added.
Despite losing their last piece of territory in Syria in 2019, IS has maintained hideouts in the vast Syrian desert from which it has carried out ambushes and hit-and-run attacks.
The jihadist group, which announced a new leader earlier this month, has been blamed for a string of deadly attacks on government loyalists in recent weeks.
The Observatory has said the escalation in attacks is an attempt by IS to show it is “still active and powerful despite the targeting of its leaders”.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
