In Deir Ezor province, in an unfortunate incident, members of the extremist group IS carried out an attack on a bus belonging to the army in a desert region. The result of this violent act was the tragic loss of 26 soldiers and 11 wounded, according to information provided by Abdel Rahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH). The OSDH also reported that a significant number of soldiers remain unaccounted for as a result of this attack.
In recent months, IS has increased its offensives in Syria, especially in the desert areas in the east and north of the country, areas to which it has retreated after its decline. Although the jihadist organization lost its last stronghold in the country in 2019, it has maintained its presence in the vast Syrian desert, from where it carries out ambushes and surprise attacks.
A Syrian military source, quoted by the Sana news agency, reported that a terrorist group carried out an attack on a military vehicle in the southeast of Deir Ezzor, causing fatalities and injuries among the soldiers. The OSDH stressed that this incident not only marks the third IS attack against the Syrian army since the beginning of August but also the deadliest of them.
Since 2019, four IS leaders have been killed. Earlier this month, the Islamic fundamentalist organization announced the death of its last leader and designated a successor. Although IS had lost control of vast swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq after being defeated by Syrian and Iraqi military forces backed by an international coalition, the group has continued to carry out attacks on and off ever since.
The protracted war in Syria has had a devastating impact, claiming the lives of more than 500,000 people and generating massive population displacements since it began in 2011.