Syria: 53 killed in ambush blamed on Islamic State terrorists, say reports

Fifty-three people were killed on Friday (February 17) in central Syria in an ambush blamed on the Islamic State. According to state television, the victims were truffle hunting when they were killed "during an attack by the terrorists of IS to the southwest of the town of Al-Sokhna." The director of the Palmyra hospital Walid Audi said the victims included 46 civilians and seven soldiers. The dastardly attack comes at a time when Syria is grappling with the devastation of the massive earthquakes.

Speaking to radio station Sham FM, Audi said the bodies had "been brought to the hospital after the ambush" that targeted dozens. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the attack was carried out by IS terrorists on motorcycles who opened fire on truffle hunters, news agency AFP reported early Saturday. The IS did not immediately claim responsibility for the ambush.

This was the deadliest attack by the groupsince January 2022 when they stormed a prison in the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Hasakeh in a bid to free fellow members. The resulting fighting inside the city had killed 105 people, mostly civilians, as well as 268 terrorists.

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ALSO READ | Senior ISIS leader killed, four American troops, dog wounded after helicopter raid in Syria: US military

Meanwhile, on Friday, American troops killed a senior IS leader in Syria. The leader, identified as Hamza al-Homsi, was killed with the US Central Command saying that four military personnel were injured during the raid. The injured were being treated at an American medical facility in Iraq.

After losing their territory following a military onslaught backed by a US-led coalition in March 2019, the Islamic State remnants in Syria mostly retreated to hideouts in the desert. Since then, the group has used such hideouts to ambush Kurdish-led forces and Syrian government troops while continuing to mount attacks in neighbouring Iraq.

(With inputs from agencies)

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