BEIRUT: Islamic State group militants targeted checkpoints and military positions in the Syrian desert, leaving at least 30 National Defence Forces and soldiers dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a report released on Wednesday.
The attacks occurred simultaneously in locations spanning between Raqa, Homs, and Deir Ezzor, making it one of the deadliest assaults this year attributed to the extremist group.
The Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdel Rahman, expressed concerns that the death toll could increase, pointing to an unspecified number of wounded individuals, some of whom are in critical condition. The attacks by ISIS, notorious for its ruthless tactics, have intensified in recent months, posing a significant threat to government and security forces.
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These attacks follows a pattern of ISIS-led assaults on government supporters earlier this year. In August, the extremist group ambushed a bus near Mayadeen in Deir Ezzor province, resulting in the deaths of 33 Syrian soldiers.
Prior to that incident, another attack claimed the lives of 10 people in Raqa province, once a stronghold of the terrorist organization. Additionally, militants targeted an army-guarded convoy of oil tanker trucks in the Syrian desert during the same month, resulting in the deaths of seven people, including two civilians.
