Syrians risk their lives in areas littered with ISIS landmines
QAMIHSLI, Syria (North Press) – Residents living near the Syrian Desert, which is rich in high-quality truffles, risk their lives on a daily basis to gather as much as of the delicious fungi as possible in areas littered with Islamic State (ISIS) landmines.
The Syrian Desert is known for its high-quality truffles, which fetch high prices in a war-torn country suffering under a crushing economic crisis, with an average monthly wage of around $18.
The Syrian Desert covers nearly half of Syria, and is distributed over the governorates of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Rif Dimashq, Suwayda and Palmyra.
Iranian-backed militias and government forces control large areas of the Syrian Desert and the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, which constitutes a source of concern, as it is the site of intensive operations by ISIS sleeper cells.
At the market in the city of Hama, central Syria, truffles can be sold for up to $25 per kilo, according to size and grade.
Some traders buy high-quality truffles and export them to neighboring Iraq and Lebanon, while others smuggle them to rich Gulf countries through Jordan.
However, the Syrian Desert is littered with landmines left over by ISIS.
Landmines and war remnants have harmed 215 people since early 2023. 80 of which were killed or injured in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, the last stronghold of ISIS, according to the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press.
On March 1, six people were killed and 40 others were injured by a blast from an old ISIS mine. The victims had been searching for truffles in in the village of Kabajib, south of Deir ez-Zor.
France24 cited a wholesaler in Hama who said that he bought his truffles from Bedouins who came to the city in the mornings, some with “blood on their clothes.”
“Some have lost family members while collecting truffles — but they keep doing it … because they have no choice,” the wholesaler said.
“People sacrifice their lives… just to support themselves,” in areas full of landmines and “bandits” where ISIS sleeper cells are still present, he added.
Truffle hunters take the risk despite repeated warnings in the Syrian media.