In one of the bloodiest attacks of the year, Islamic State group attacks on Wednesday in the Syrian desert killed at least 34 pro-government militants and soldiers, according to a monitor.
An organization headquartered in Britain with a network of sources on the ground, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported that the jihadists launched “simultaneous attacks” at daybreak on military positions and checkpoints between Raqa, Homs, and Deir Ezzor.
The majority of the fatalities were from the pro-government National Defence Forces, and the report stated that there had been “34 dead, at least eight of them soldiers”.
The head of the Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, warned the toll could rise, citing an unspecified number of wounded, some in serious condition.
The war monitor said Russian warplanes launched strikes on IS positions in the desert, killing seven jihadists.
IS proclaimed a “caliphate” in June 2014 across swathes of Syria and Iraq and launched a reign of terror.
It was defeated territorially in Syria in 2019 but its remnants continue to carry out deadly hit-and-run attacks and ambushes, particularly from desert hideouts, targeting both pro-government forces and Kurdish-led fighters.
IS was blamed for a string of deadly attacks on government loyalists earlier this year.
