Poor Syrians pick truffles despite great dangers. Isis and landmines have killed more than 150 truffle pickers in the Syrian deserts in recent months.
The extremist organization Isis has killed 15 truffle pickers in central Syria on Thursday. Some of those killed were civilians and some were soldiers fighting on the side of the Syrian government.
According to the AFP news agency, Isis terrorists killed the truffle diggers by slitting their throats.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 40 other pickers are missing in the attack near Hama.
At least 150 truffle pickers have been killed in Syria since February. Some have died in attacks by the extremist organization Isis, and some in landmines planted in the desert.
In recent years, truffle hunters have been the target of repeated attacks by ISIS in the central, northeastern and eastern parts of Syria. People have also been kidnapped.
There are truffles in a desert area where there are still many ISIS terrorists.
Poverty drives you after truffles – and at the risk of death
Despite its danger, picking truffles in the Syrian deserts is popular. People rush to the desert after the February-April truffle harvest, despite constant warnings about mines and ISIS terrorists.
A good-quality truffle can fetch up to 25 euros per kilo. The average monthly salary of a Syrian is less than 18 euros. The 12-year-long war has collapsed the Syrian economy.
The truffles growing in the Syrian desert in the region of Hama and Aleppo are among the best truffles in the world in terms of quality.
Syrian truffles are exported to Iraq and Lebanon. They are also smuggled to the Persian Gulf countries via Jordan.
Source: AFP