Two pro-Syrian government militants killed in mine explosion in Deir ez-Zor

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – A landmine exploded near members of the Jerusalem Brigade (Liwa al-Quds) in the town of al-Tebni, west of Deir ez-Zor, on Tuesday.

Local media reported that the explosion killed two members of the Jerusalem Brigade. The pro-government militia is made up primarily of Palestinians, and is trained and supported by Russian forces.

In related news, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that a group belonging to the Abbas Brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard vanished in the Deir ez-Zor desert several days ago.

The group consisted of eight people from Mayadin city in eastern Deir ez-Zor, who went into the desert to “go fishing” before they lost contact. According to information obtained by SOHR, the group was killed by Islamic State (ISIS) cells active in the Syrian Desert.

ISIS continues to target locations of Syrian government forces with ambushes and surprise attacks. Government forces attempt to curb their activities by launching attacks with air support by Russian aircraft.

The clashes between the two are mostly focused in the Sukhnah desert in the eastern countryside of Homs at the administrative borders with Deir ez-Zor, and the Hama-Aleppo-Raqqa triangle.