An ISIS suicide car bombing has targeted a large convoy of civilians trying to flee from Deir Ezzor Province, hitting the convoy just as it was meeting up with others who had already fled the area.
The catastrophic attack has left a mounting death toll, with at least 75 civilians confirmed killed, and another 140 wounded. The casualties included a number of children according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Fighting has been raging across Deir Ezzor Province, with US-backed Kurdish forces pushing into ISIS territory in the province’s north, and the Syrian military taking the south. With intense fighting around the area, a lot of people are fleeing.
With ISIS forces fleeing into the desert to get away from the offensives, the civilians fleeing through the desert to safe areas are sitting ducks. ISIS has always been keen to target fleeing civilians to discourage locals from leaving contested areas.