Islamic State mines kill truffle hunters in Syrian desert
The country's economic collapse and widespread poverty have driven residents to risk their lives to make a living in the desert near Deir ez-Zor.
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria — With this year's abundant rainy season, truffle harvesters are venturing into the desert despite the danger of land mines and other ordnance planted by the Islamic State in the Syrian desert in the countryside of Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Homs, Abu Kamal and al-Mayadin.
Syria'a economic collapse, rampant poverty and unemployment forced Ali al-Hussein, 50, to take the risk with his wife and three children in the desert in Deir ez-Zor.
“I need money for an emergency surgery for my mother, who suffers from heart problems,” Hussein told Al-Monitor.
Searching for high-priced truffles has become the main source of livelihood for many Syrian households. But they're getting scarcer, Khalaf Hassan, 40, told Al-Monitor.
