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On December 20, six soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) were killed and three others were wounded in a landmine blast near the town of al-Bukamal in the southern countryside of Syria’s Deir Ezzor.
Syrian pro-government sources said that the deadly mine was planted by ISIS cells, without providing any details. From its side, ISIS’s official news agency, Amaq, didn’t report the incident. This suggests that the landmine may have been planted by the terrorist group a long while ago.
This was one of the deadliest incidents to take place in Syria’s central region this year. Yet, ISIS carried out larger attacks in the last few months.
The terrorist group’s cells imposed control of the village of al-Kawm, which is located a few kilometers to the north of the town of al-Sukhnah in the eastern countryside of Homs, on November 28. The SAA and its allies managed to recapture the small village in a quick attack on December 16.
ISIS has been waging an insurgency in central Syria against government forces and their allies for around four years now.
The SAA and its allies stepped up their operations in the region this year, inflicting heavy human and material losses on ISIS cells there. However, the terrorist group’s insurgency does not appear to be nearing its end.