The death of three Russian soldiers was confirmed after they had gone missing during an ISIL ambush in February 2019.[66] Several Syrian servicemen were also reported killed in the ambush.[67] According to Russia, a group of more than 30 ISIL fighters who took part in the ambush were tracked down and “destroyed”.[68] Around the same time, a Russian PMC was killed by a landmine in the region.[69] At the end of February, the military started combing operations in the desert against the ISIL pocket[70][71] and in early March, the Army conducted airstrikes against ISIL positions near Sukhnah,[72] while preparations were taking place for the military to launch an operation in the area.[73]