ISIL attacks kill 30 in Syrian desert
Al JazeeraOCT 2023
The Spin
Narrative A
Every year, the government says the same thing — avoid truffle hunting in specific regions due to the high likelihood of IS attacks or landmines. Though opposition media like the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights aren't reliable, even those who support the terrorists in Syria recognize the barbarity of attacking poor villagers focused on making a living.
Narrative B
The Syrian government is also guilty of the deaths of the truffle hunters. The war's destruction and the government's inability to shore up the economy have forced many rural Syrians, who were already impoverished, to make dangerous journeys into the desert to collect one of the only viable resources they can exploit to earn a living.