Unknown gunmen kill 5 truffle hunters in Syria’s Homs
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Unidentified gun men kill on Friday five civilians working in the truffle hunting in Jubb al-Jarrah village in northern Homs, central Syria.
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency cited a military source “a number of terrorists, on motorcycles, shot fires at five citizens while picking up the truffle in Homs eastern countryside, killing them immediately.”
The Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press Agency documented the killing and injury of 266 truffle hunters across Syria at the end of truffle season in 2023.
Each year, hundreds of Syrians risk their lives in the vast Syrian Desert, which produces high-quality truffles. The late winter season is largely seen as an opportunity to earn a good income, due to the high prices paid for the desert delicacy, despite the threats of landmines and Islamic State (ISIS) presence.