DAMASCUS: A group of Islamic State (IS) militants on Thursday attacked two buses, killing 10 oil workers in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

The IS militants ambushed the two buses transporting the workers, who work at the al-Kharata oil field in the western countryside of Deir al-Zour, as they returned from work, the state news agency SANA reported.

Several workers were wounded during the attack, it said. The attack aimed to sabotage the production of the factories and the agricultural sector in Deir al-Zour, Governor Fadel Najjar was cited as saying by SANA.

Though the IS has been largely defeated in Deir al-Zour, its remnants still hold some pockets in the desert region in the province near the Iraqi border.