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Attacks by ISIS cells and incidents involving war debris have left 54 people dead in the Syrian governorate of Hama since the start of April, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)
In a report released on April 23, the London-based monitoring group said that 36 of the victims were civilians, while the rest were service members and pro-government fighters.
ISIS cells infiltrate the eastern countryside of Hama from Syria’s central desert, known as the Badia, on a regular basis. The terrorists are mainly active around the town of Salamiyah and the town of Ithriyah, which is located on a key road leading to the northern governorate of Aleppo.
The incidents involving war debris mentioned by the SOHR were most likely caused by landmines and improvised explosive devices which were planted by ISIS cells recently, or in the past year. The terrorist group occupied vast parts of Hama countryside before the collapse of its so-called Caliphate a few years ago.
Most of the victims who were recently killed in Hama and other parts of Syria’s central region were impoverished civilians hunting for expansive desert truffles to secure an additional income.
Syrian government forces deployed additional reinforcements in the eastern countryside of Hama recently. However, they are yet to launch any operation to push ISIS cells out from the area, likely due to poor weather conditions.
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