DAMASCUS, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 29 Islamic State (IS) militants have been killed over the past 72 hours by Russian airstrikes in the Syrian desert region, a war monitor reported on Tuesday.
The Russian warplanes carried out around 70 airstrikes over the past 72 hours on positions of the IS militants in the desert region in the central province of Hama and the eastern Deir al-Zour province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The death toll could likely rise due to the number of critically wounded militants, the Britain-based watchdog group added.
After losing key areas across Syria, the IS militants now have a presence in the sprawling desert region in eastern Syria.
The militants frequently carry out attacks and ambushes against Syrian government forces in the desert, prompting the Syrian and Russian warplanes to strike their positions.
Since March 2019, a total of 1,381 Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters have been killed by IS attacks. Also, 896 IS militants have been killed during the same period. Enditem
