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.
