Death toll in ISIS campaign in Syria rises

The death toll from brutal, coordinated attacks by ISIS fighters on a usually peaceful southern Syrian region has climbed to 216, according to local officials. Mass funerals are being held for civilians and members of local militias who tried to fight off the terrorists after the bloodiest day in the region since the conflict began in 2011.

The violence began early Wednesday morning with series of bombings in Sweida, including one at a busy vegetable market, and have continued as ISIS militants ambush villages in the area. An activist-operated Facebook page called Sweida News Network said the militants sneaked into the villages under the cover of darkness and shot residents as they slept, some in the head. In the village of Shbiki, the attack was so unexpected some residents unwittingly opened their doors when militants knocked early Thursday morning. Human rights observers report that the militants abducted some residents. Although government forces have largely defeated ISIS in Syria, the terrorist group is trying to expand its pockets of territory in the eastern and southern regions.