IS militants gun down 32 truffle hunters in Syria

Damascus, April 17 (IANS) Islamic State (IS) militants gunned down 32 truffle hunters in Syria's central Hama province, according to a report from the pro-government al-Watan online newspaper.The victims were collecting truffles in the Doizin area, located in a desert region to the east of Salamiyeh city in the countryside of Hama, Xinhua news agency reported.The bodies of 26 of the slain workers have been taken to the hospital, the report said on Sunday.The attack is the latest of a string of IS attacks against Syrian truffle hunters in desert regions. In February, 53 civilians were killed by IS militants while collecting truffles in the central province of Homs.Despite the grave danger posed by IS, many Syrians, who are grappling with poverty after enduring 12 years of conflict, are risking their lives in pursuit of the expensive mushrooms and the lucrative profit they bring.
--IANS int/khz/

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