At least 18 truffle collectors killed in Syria by suspected ISIS militants

Militants set fire to 11 vehicles during the attack, which took place in a desert near the town of Kobajeb in Deir Ezzor province

At least 18 people were killed when suspected ISISmilitants attacked villagers collecting truffles in eastern Syria on Wednesday, a rights monitor and pro-government media said.

At least four members of the government-allied National Defence Forces among those killed by machine-guns in the attack, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, citing “reliable sources”.

The Observatory said militants had set fire to 11 vehicles during the attack, which took place in a desert near the town of Kobajeb, in Deir Ezzor province, bordering Iraq.

ISIS militants have regularly attacked truffle hunters in remote areas – often using mines. Last April, at least 31 people, including pro-regime fighters, were killed in an attack on truffle collectors near the west-central Syrian city of Hama, according to the Observatory.

Truffles are a high-profit commodity that can sell for anywhere between $5-25, according to local media outlets, depending on their quality and size.

But finding them is a high-risk endeavour in Syria, which is now nearly in its 13th year of war and where 90 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line.

The war has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half of Syria’s prewar population of 23 million, according to UN figures.