DAMASCUS, July 19 (Xinhua) -- A total of five Syrian soldiers were killed and four others wounded on Thursday evening in an ambush by the Islamic State (IS) militants in eastern Syria, a war monitor said Friday.
The IS militants ambushed the Syrian soldiers in the desert region of the city of al-Mayadeen in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour Province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
According to the London-based watchdog, as many as 177 Syrian troops and pro-government fighters have been killed in similar IS ambushes since March.
It is worth noting that the extremist IS group lost key areas in Deir al-Zour over the past two years.
However, the IS remnants are still scattered in the desert region between Deir al-Zour and the central province of Homs.
