18 people were killed in an attack by Islamist militants on truffle pickers in eastern Syria, and more than a dozen were wounded and disappeared, opposition activists and pro-government media announced today.
The announcement states that this represents one of the deadliest attacks by the Islamic State (IS) in the past year. The attack took place near the city of Kobazeb, in the province of Deir el Zor, in eastern Syria.
The UK-based Human Rights Watch said 18 people were killed and 16 wounded in today's attack, and that around 50 people are missing and feared to have been abducted by IS.
In the report of the Observatory, it is written that among the dead were four members of the National Defense Forces, which were sent as reinforcements to the area after the incident.
The pro-government media Dama Post announced that the death toll was 44, as well as that 13 vehicles used by truffle pickers were set on fire or destroyed by IS.
It is not yet clear why there is such a big difference in the news about the death toll. Differing reports of casualties in Syria are not uncommon after deadly attacks.
Despite the fact that the Islamic State was militarily defeated in Syria in March 2019, its members continue to carry out attacks in Syria and Iraq.
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