Interview: Why the Islamic State group is 'returning to its roots' in the Syrian desert

The map to the left shows the areas where the Islamic State organisation is still active in Syria. The image on the right shows members of the National Defense Forces, a pro-regime militia, discovering a cache of medicine that likely belonged to IS group fighters. © Observers

Some of the remaining members of the Islamic State organisation – those who escaped death or imprisonment after losing their territory in 2019 – have made their way to Badia, a vast desert in the centre of Syria. The IS group carries out frequent attacks on the nomadic Bedouins who make up the local population in this remote region. Since the IS group moved into the area, there has been a spike in violent attacks between February and April of each year, when Bedouins venture into the desert to gather rare and valuable truffles.

Traditionally, during this season, the Bedouins travel in convoys into the desert to harvest the truffles, which are considered to be some of the best in the region. However, in recent years, armed Islamic State group terrorists have been attacking these convoys, murdering dozens of people, including women and children.