Beirut: Daesh militants have killed eight Syrian soldiers in an ambush, war monitors said Sunday.
Daesh, which seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, declared a caliphate and began a reign of terror, was territorially defeated in Syria in 2019.
Despite the defeat, the remnants continue to carry out deadly attacks, particularly in the vast Badia Desert, which begins on the outskirts of Damascus and stretches to the Iraqi border.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is monitoring Daesh’s announcement of the execution of eight members of the Syrian army, including officers.
According to the Observatory, the Syrian army was heading towards the city of Deir Ezzor from Sukna when it came under attack.
Since the beginning of this year, more than 200 soldiers and other affiliated fighters have been killed in Daesh attacks, explosions and ambushes by the militant group in the Syrian desert.
According to the Observatory, jihadist attacks killed at least 37 civilians during the same period, and soldiers and affiliated fighters killed 24 Daesh militants.
The observer said last week that Daesh attacks in northern Syria had claimed the lives of at least 11 people searching for desert truffles.
According to a United Nations report in January, Daesh’s total strength in Iraq and Syria is believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000 soldiers.
