6 IS Fighters Killed in Russian Airstrikes on Syrian Desert

Six armed members of the Islamic State (IS) group were killed in Russian airstrikes, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The airstrikes, which targeted the fighters’ position east of the central Homs province, struck areas in the al-Sukhnah desert and near the Dubaiat gas field in Homs’ eastern countryside.

Four pro-Syrian government fighters also lost their lives in ground clashes with IS members in the same region. 

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a total of 544 casualties in the ongoing military conflict between Syrian and IS forces in the desert region since the start of 2023. This figure includes 37 IS members, 165 civilians, and 342 Syrian military personnel and pro-government fighters.

After suffering major defeats across most of Syria in 2018, IS fighters retreated to the desert, where they have since launched attacks on roads linking the provinces of Hama and Homs with Deir ez-Zor in the east. The ongoing conflict highlights the continued threat posed by IS in the region despite its diminished stronghold in Syria.