Sixteen Syrian soldiers, including an officer, were killed in a minefield laid by the Islamic State group in the Sukhna desert area of Homs province. The soldiers, with Russian air support, were carrying out an anti-IS operation. IS remnants still carry out deadly attacks, particularly in the Badia desert, targeting government loyalists and Kurdish-led fighters. At least 348 Syrian government loyalists have been killed this year in IS ambushes and attacks in the desert.
A United Nations report released in January said IS’ combined strength in Iraq and Syria was between 3,000 and 5,000 fighters, with the Badia desert serving as a logistics hub. More than 14 million people are at risk from explosive ordnance contamination in Syria. The United Nations Mine Action Service in Syria is seeking $26 million for planned humanitarian mine action interventions this year.
Syria’s war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions since it began in March 2011.
