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.
