New Islamic State Attacks Target Syria’s Economy

BEIRUT, LEBANON (8:30 A.M.) – Over the last six weeks, the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) has carried out a number of attacks on Syrian roadways and trains in the central and eastern part of the country.

These Islamic State attacks have ranged from minimal gunfire to strategically planted explosives along roadways and railways inside the Homs Governorate.

Among the most recent acts of sabotage carried out by ISIS was an attack on an oil tanker train that was making its way to western Syria from the country’s vast desert region.

One of the oil tanker trains that was targeted by the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate.

With Syria’s ongoing oil crisis due to the western-led sanctions, the Islamic State has found a way to intensify the pressure on the government by wreaking havoc along their supply routes.

As a result of these Islamic State attacks, the Syrian government has sent reinforcements along the International Highway in a bid to secure their supply routes from the eastern part of the country.

The Syrian government is now preparing to reopen the strategic Albukamal crossing with Iraq, which should pave the way for increased oil transports from Iran.

However, despite this positive development, the Syrian government still has to worry about the large presence of Islamic State terrorists near this highway and their future railway that will link Damascus and Tehran.