Members of the terrorist Islamic State kidnapped about 40 people in the central Syrian province of Hama and killed at least 15, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced today.
The Islamic State, which was defeated in Syria in 2019, still has its "sleepers" who kill in Syria and Iraq - territories it once considered its "caliphate" and kept under control.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, as well as state media, the abductions in Hama took place on Thursday, and the bodies of those killed - some with their throats cut - were discovered yesterday.
Among the dead are seven civilians and eight armed members of Syrian tribes, the organization claims.
Pro-government radio Šam FM reported that extremists attacked farmers while they were gathering truffles, that some of the abducted fell as "martyrs" while contact with others was lost.
A month ago, an Islamic State sleeper cell also attacked people gathering truffles and killed 53 of them. Among those killed were workers, as well as members of the government's security forces.
Truffles are a seasonal delicacy in Syria and can be sold at a high price.
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