WEB DESK
At least 53 civilians were killed in an attack in Syria’s central desert province of Homs. The bodies of all victims, taken to the Palmyra state hospital, had gunshot wounds in the head.
State media said, the victims had been gathering desert truffles when they were attacked. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Homs province is controlled by the Syrian government and its allies.
IS once controlled vast swathes of territory there, losing its hold on land in separate offensives by US-backed fighters, government forces backed by Russia, regional militants and Turkish-sponsored rebels. It now uses sleeper cells to wage hit-and-run attacks in Syria.