ISIS landmine kills at least six civilians in Syria

Incident highlights danger faced by Syrians seeking to earn a living in region still reeling from decade of war

A discarded landmine in the village of Baghouz in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor province in March 2019. AP

On Sunday, a landmine explosion in Syria killed at least six civilians who were foraging for truffles in the countryside, state media reported.

The incident took place in the southern Deir Ezzor province, which is a former stronghold of the ISIS militants.

The Syrian state-run news agency, Sana, attributed the incident to a landmine planted by ISIS.

This is the second such incident in as many days. On Saturday, six people who were also looking for truffles were killed by an anti-tank mine in Homs' eastern countryside.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in Britain, reported seven deaths in Sunday's incident.

The Observatory said the explosion took the number of civilians killed this year due to mines and other explosive objects from the war to 137, including 30 children.

Truffles are a seasonal delicacy that can fetch high prices, making them a lucrative source of income for many Syrians.

Due to their remote locations and the large groups in which truffle hunters work, they are often the targets of ISIS militants, who emerge from the desert to abduct them, kill some and hold the others for ransom.

The February attack by ISIS sleeper cells on workers collecting truffles near the central town of Sukhna led to the deaths of at least 53 people, mostly workers but also some Syrian government security troops.

Truffle hunters in Syria are vulnerable to attacks by ISIS militants. AFP

The use of landmines and other explosives has been a significant concern in Syria since the civil war began in 2011.

The UN has called for the removal of all explosive remnants of war in Syria, because of their effect on the civilian population.

The latest incident highlights the danger faced by Syrians who are merely trying to earn a living in a region still reeling from a decade of war.

“These bombs have not stopped killing innocent civilians, even though the war has ended,” said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.