5 government soldiers killed in IED blast in Syria’s Homs
HOMS, Syria (North Press) – Five soldiers of the Syrian government forces were killed on Monday at dawn in an IED explosion in the countryside of Homs, central Syria.
A military source in the government forces told North Press an explosive device targeted a military vehicle of the Division 26 of the government forces near the village of Bureij in the south of Homs.
The Syrian Desert covers nearly half of Syria as it stretches across the governorates of Hama, Homs, Raqqa, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zor.
Large areas of the Syrian Desert are controlled by Iranian-backed militias and the government forces. The areas frequently witness intensive operations and attacks, mostly claimed by the Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells.
The source said the explosion resulted in the killing of five soldiers who were inside the vehicle, which was on a mission to distribute food to military posts of the Division.
Moreover, the government forces arrested more than 15 civilians near the scene of the explosion for questioning, according to the source.
On May 2, ISIS militants killed 13 members of the National Defense Forces (NDF), a militia affiliated with the government forces, near the town of al-Sukhnah in the Syrian Desert.