Landmine blasts claim life of 2 individuals in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – In two different incidents, two individuals lost their lives in two explosions of landmines, most likely left by the Islamic State (ISIS) in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria.
A local source from the town of al-Meri’iyaeh in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor said, “The 34-year-old Ali al-Qasem lost his life in a landmine explosion left by ISIS on the outskirts of the desert of the town while breeding sheep.”
The source added that al-Qasem was transferred to a field hospital in the town where he succumbed to his injuries.
In a separate incident, Ahmad al-Faraj from the town of Shamitiyah in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor said that his “younger brother Muhammad al-Faraj, 38, lost his life in a landmine explosion left by ISIS while he was chasing truffles in the desert.”
However, the truffle-hunting season can easily have deadly ends, as the Syrian Desert is fraught with dangers, such as the presence of extremists and left-over landmines.
Residents living near the Syrian Desert, which is rich in high-quality truffles, cannot comb the entire area due to the existing risks – mainly pro-Iranian militias, as well as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Truffles are monopolized by some influential figures affiliated with the Iranian militias. Residents tend to work as day laborers for brokers affiliated with the IRGC.
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, which stand accused of killing truffles hunters.