IS ambush kills five Syrian soldiers in eastern Syria

DAMASCUS: JAN. 3 – Five Syrian soldiers were killed and 20 others were wounded when the Islamic State (IS) militants targeted their bus in eastern Syria overnight Sunday, state news agency SANA reported on Monday.

The IS missile attack targeted the military bus near an oil station in the Syrian desert region between Homs and Deir al-Zour provinces in eastern Syria, said SANA, citing a military source.

It further charged that the IS militants had repeatedly carried out such attacks from the area that is controlled by the U.S. forces in the al-Tanf region.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the Syrian government forces sent a military backup and dozens of soldiers to the desert region the previous day.

Since 2019, a total of 1,625 government forces and allied fighters have been killed by IS ambushes in the desert region, the watchdog group based in Britain said.

The IS influence has largely decreased following their massive defeat in Syria. However, the terror-designated group still frequently carries out attacks in the desert region.

-Xinhua