ALEPPO, Syria — Deir ez-Zor governorate in eastern Syria has been witnessing widespread search and digging operations for gold, money and weapons that were left behind by Islamic State (IS) militants when the terrorist group took hold of the province between 2013 and 2019. In March 2019, IS lost its last strongholds in Syria to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the international coalition.

Residents in the towns of Baghouz, Safna and other towns in SDF-controlled Deir ez-Zor have been complaining about an uptick in excavations that have reached their backyards, cemeteries, agricultural lands and the rubble in neighborhoods and towns destroyed by the airstrikes in the area.

Zayn Mohammad, a civil activist who lives in the SDF-held eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, told Al-Monitor, “The excavations for money, gold and weapons that IS left behind in the area are not something new here. This phenomenon actually began when IS lost its last stronghold in eastern Deir ez-Zor in 2019.”

He said, “The digging operations have recently increased and expanded, with hundreds of people joining groups searching for IS treasures, despite the dangers of such activity. These people are looking for anything left by IS inside hideouts, caves and buildings that the group used as shelters or headquarters for its militants. This phenomenon is mainly due to the worsening poverty and unemployment affecting the local community, notably young people in Deir ez-Zor countryside."