DAMASCUS, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russian warplanes targeted Islamic State (IS) positions in the desert region in central and southern Syria on Friday, a war monitor reported.
A total of seven Russian warplanes struck IS positions in the desert region of the central province of Homs and the southern province of Sweida, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, without details on casualties.
The Britain-based watchdog group said IS members have "a thick presence" in the desert region.
Meanwhile, three Syrian soldiers were killed and three others wounded when an explosive device went off in the desert of Sweida.
The IS members have been launching attacks in the Syrian desert for months.
The observatory said that 658 Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters had been killed since March of 2019 in battles with IS and explosions in the desert.
It added that 273 IS militants had been killed at the same time. Enditem
