By Lamar Arkandi
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – The annual season for truffle hunting in the Syrian Desert has begun amid intense conflicts in the region, subjecting truffle hunters to repeated attacks by sleeper cells of the Islamic State group (ISIS) and Iranian-backed militias.
Both parties have committed atrocities against truffle hunters by planting landmines. Even soldiers of the Syrian government forces are not spared of these mine attacks.
According to statistics by Insight, an organization working on monitoring and documenting human rights violations in Syria, the number of truffle hunters killed and injured since the beginning of 2024 has amounted to 105 individuals in the governorates of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Homs, and Hama.
During 23 different incidents in these areas, 69 individuals, including 30 civilians, 14 soldiers of the government forces, and 23 militants of the pro-government National Defense Forces (NDF) were killed. Furthermore, 36 individuals were injured, including four NDF militants.
Perpetrators
At a time when several parties accuse ISIS sleeper cells of committing massacres against truffle hunters, activists and families of casualties accuse Iranian-backed militias of perpetrating these attacks.
The brother of one of the killed, who belongs to Bani Khaled tribe and spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, holds Iranian-backed militias responsible for the killing of his brother and over 70 civilians who were working in truffle hunting. Most of those killed were from the same tribe.
He told North Press that the Iranian-backed militias seek to control the truffle market in the Syrian Desert, leading them to commit massacres and kill a large number of these civilians who are seeking their livelihood during the season of truffle hunting due to the deteriorating economic conditions in Syria.
At the time, the government accused ISIS sleeper cells of being behind the massacre that occurred on the vicinity of the town of al-Sukhnah in the eastern countryside of Homs in 2023.
Syrian journalist Osama Abdulkarim, specializing in terrorist groups, obtained testimonies from the families of the victims denying ISIS involvement in the al-Sukhnah massacre. He attributed the targeting of truffle hunters and shepherds in 2023 to militants from the Iranian-backed militia of Liwa Fatemiyoun and the NDF.
Why do truffle hunters get targeted?
Ahmad Sultan, a researcher specializing in terrorist groups, believes that both ISIS and allies of the Syrian government are behind the attacks witnessed in the Syrian Desert, adding that these are financially-driven attacks.
“Truffles are sold at high prices and royalties are imposed [by ISIS] on hunters during this period. Truffle hunters may refrain from paying the imposed royalties. Therefore, ISIS and Iran-backed militias target them by planting landmines along the routes used by hunters’ vehicles, leading to a significant increase in casualties,” Sultan stated.
Journalist Omar al-Khattab, who also focuses on terrorist groups, holds that ISIS’ actions against truffle hunters are driven by ideological reasons, as ISIS views truffle hunters as apostates of Islam and sentences them to death.
ISIS seeks to spread fear among the population, create chaos, and undermine security, the journalist said. “This strategy makes it easier for it to tighten its grip on the region.”
ISIS employs violence, al-Khattab added, as a tool to impose its extremist ideology by fueling sectarian strife among different communities in the Syrian Desert. It also aims to destabilize local authorities and showcase their inability to protect civilians, ultimately leading to expelling these authorities from the region.
Furthermore, violence serves as a means for ISIS to pressure international parties into engaging in negotiations and obtaining concessions, according to al-Khattab.
Regarding the Iranian militias, the journalist believes that they consider the population as a threat to their control over the area. Consequently, they directly or indirectly target civilians, seeking to force them into submission.
Additionally, there is a possibility that these attacks stem from intra-conflicts among various militias. Each militia strives to assert its influence over the region.
Coordination and interests
Since 2018, the seasons of truffle hunting have become fraught with risks, especially after investigative reports revealed mutual coordination between ISIS and Iranian-backed militias affiliated with the Syrian government.
Rami Abdurrahman, Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), told North Press, citing several reports conducted by SOHR activists, that there are secret connections between ISIS, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Lebanese Hezbollah in this regard.
Abdurrahman underscored that ISIS’ operations against Iran-backed militias have significantly declined, stressing that SOHR recorded 100 operations launched by ISIS against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the U.S.-led Global Coalition and the Syrian government forces in 2023. Meanwhile, no operations were carried out against the Iran-backed militias during that period.
Echoing the same statement, al-Khattab emphasized that several investigative reports revealed high-level coordination between Iran-backed militias and ISIS.
“This coordination includes agreements, information exchange, avoiding direct confrontations, and facilitating the work of Iranian militias in transporting and smuggling weapons to ISIS,” al-Khattab stated.
He also noted that this coordination aims to achieve shared objectives, such as controlling more areas and weakening common enemies.
New destination
The Syrian Desert – which stretches across the Syrian governorates of Hama, Homs, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor – has been the most dangerous region in the country since 2017. In Deir ez-Zor, the desert is separated between areas controlled by the SDF, east of the Euphrates River, and those controlled by government forces and Iran-backed militias in west of the river.
This division prompted ISIS sleeper cells to adopt the Desert as their new capital for recruiting militants and launching operations that target the cities and villages held under control of the abovementioned forces.
Journalist Abdulkarim also noted that after 2020, Afghan, Lebanese, and Iraqi groups affiliated with Iran-backed militias, turned farms, schools, and institutions into military centers to spread their control over the Desert. This strategy was implemented in areas such as Palmyra, al-Sukhnah, al-Tebni, Madan, Sabkha and Shumaytiyah in the countryside of Homs, Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa governorates.
Outlets affiliated with ISIS stressed that the Syrian Desert is the new destination for ISIS militants and the area that must be controlled completely to rebuild the Islamic Caliphate and reclaim the Islamic State that, years ago, extended across large swaths of land across Syria and Iraq, according to Abdulkarim.
He stressed that despite the multiple military and aerial campaigns against ISIS launched by Russia, Iran, the Iran-backed Liwa al-Quds militia, and government forces, the ongoing operations and attacks launched by the ISIS have demonstrated the group’s ability to assert its presence and control over the center of Syria. It has even imposed taxes on commercial trucks.
Researcher Ahmad Sultan highlighted the importance of the Desert for ISIS in protecting its leaders, especially after transferring many of them from Idlib Governorate, northwestern Syria, to the Desert following repeated attacks by the U.S.-led Global Coalition.
The group’s activities have expanded noticeably, reaching the city of Salamiyah in eastern Hama, which reveals the extent of ISIS’ strength and activities in the Syrian Desert. Consequently, it targets truffle hunters, shepherds, military personnel, and even civilians, Sultan concluded.