At least 9 killed in landmine blast in Syria

CAIRO — At least nine truffle workers were killed in war-torn Syria on Sunday after their vehicle hit a landmine, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Three people were injured in the explosion in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, the war monitor said.

Since the beginning of January, a total of 137 civilians have been killed in landmine blasts in Syria, including 30 children, according to the Britain-based watchdog.

Syria’s truffle hunters are particularly vulnerable to landmines as well as attacks by Islamic State extremists, the Observatory said in a Saturday report.

Many people in Syria, roiled by economic hardships, try to earn a living by searching for the prized truffle delicacy in the desert.

But the remote areas are a hotbed for militants and often covered with landmines, making the search highly dangerous.

Aid organization Handicap International estimates that up to 300,000 mines and unexploded ordnance are scattered across Syria following more than a decade of civil war.

The Islamic State militia in Syria has targeted truffle collectors in recent weeks, kidnapping or killing them, according to the Observatory, which has been monitoring violence in Syria since the civil war broke out in 2011.

Although Islamic State has suffered military and territorial setbacks in Syria, the terrorist group remains active in several parts of the country.

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