The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

At least 45 fighters of SDF were killed and captured and tens others ran away as a result of carrying out the most violent counterattack by the organization in a month of military operations in the east of the Euphrates

Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that violent clashes are continuing at this time in ISIS last enclave along with completing the 1st month of military operation today the 10th of October 2018, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; the members of the “Islamic State” organization carried out violent and simultaneous counterattacks in the contact areas between them and between the Syria Democratic Forces in Al-Baghuz, Hajin, al-Marashdah and the vicinity of Al-Susah, which resulted in the eruption of violent clashes between the members of the organization against the Syria Democratic Forces supported by the International Coalition, accompanied by intensive exchange of targeting, detonations and heavy shelling, and the reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the attack resulted in the death of 10 members of the SDF in addition that the organization has captured 35 members at least of the SDF while tens others ran away from the contact lines as a result of the violent attack, which resulted in the run out of their ammunition, in addition not to be supported by warplanes or artillery as a result the attack by the organization that simultaneously targeted more than one area, and the fact that the International Coalition’s warplanes were supporting SDF in other positions, and the organization has exploited the bad weather in carrying out its most violent counter attack so far.

And with the fall of more human losses, it rose to at least 267, the number of ISIS members who were killed in the ongoing clashes and the Coalition’s strikes, while 149 members at least have been killed of the Syria Democratic Forces since the start of military operations on the 10th of September 2018, one of whom has served as a field commander in Deir Ezzor Military Council of the Syria Democratic Forces, while the death toll is expected to increase due to the presence of information about other casualties as well as the presence of injured cases in serious conditions, while the SOHR published today the 10th of October 2018, that the military operations of the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition have completed its first month on Wednesday, the 10th of October 2018, where it was launched on the 10th of September 2018. These operations, through which the attacking forces seek to terminate the presence of the “Islamic State” Organization east of Euphrates as a dominant force, where this Organization continues to be active in the rest of the areas that are outside of this enclave, in the form of sleeper cells that carry out bombings and assassinations and create chaos and insecurity in the areas that are under the control of Syria Democratic Forces, while this military operation came after weeks of preparations of bringing thousands of fighters by the Syria Democratic Forces and the Coalition to the perimeter of the ISIS-controlled enclave, which consists of the towns of Hajin, al-Susah, and Sha’afah, and al-Baghuz, and the villages of al-Marashdah, Om Hasan, al-Shajla, and al-Bobadran and the areas that connects between these village and town at the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, in addition to bringing large military reinforcements of armored vehicles, tanks, heavy machinery, bulldozers, heavy machineguns, and missiles, ammunition, and logistic equipment, all of them were entered on board of trucks to Syrian territory and transported to the vicinity of this enclave.

The military operation was launched on the 10th of September 2018 and initially it targeted mainly two main areas, the first is the area of Hajin town, where ISIS violently stood against the advancement of the Syria Democratic Forces -and despite the heavy shelling- the Syria Democratic Forces were not able to advance except in parts of the town, so SDF decreased their pressure on this area and focused on al-Baghuz area where they were able to achieve a greater advancement, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the Syria Democratic Forces during the entire military operation controlling large parts of al-Baghuz Foqani, al-Shajla village, Mozan area, and also advanced at the outskirts of al-Sousah town, and the outskirts of al-Marashdah village, and also advanced in parts of Hajin town, clamping down on the “Islamic State” Organization which seeks to prevent being restricted in a narrower range, but the firepower used by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition of artillery and missile bombings and shelling in addition to airstrikes by International Coalition warplanes have prevented the Organization’s from achieving its objective, despite the fact that the Organization has carried out tens of counterattacks along with every progress of the Syria Democratic Forces, trying to recover the points it lost during the advancement of SDF and the Coalition, where the Organization is relying on the counterattacks and its members’ blowing up for themselves with explosive belts and booby-trapped vehicles, the “Islamic State” organization is also relying on the heavily planted mines in its last enclave east of Euphrates, in addition to the use of tunnels that ensure ease of movement in its controlled areas, and sometimes they provide a surprise attack against the advancement of the Syria Democratic Forces, who have become cautious in their advancement as a result of all these mentioned details.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the details of the military operation, which has seen the last 24 hours the heaviest artillery and aerial bombardment on the ISIS-controlled enclave, where in addition to its monitoring of the daily battles which violence has increased in the last 72 hours, of artillery, missile, ground, and aerial shelling and targeting; the Syrian Observatory human Rights monitoring the fall of large number of casualties in the ranks of fighters of both parties, in addition to casualties among the civilians, apart from the injuries, physical damage, and destruction of infrastructure within areas of the enclave, which witnessed before the military operation against it; the opening crossings and the entry of food, opening a camp and allowing civilians and families of members of the “Islamic State” Organization to exit the enclave, also the enclave itself witnessed the removal of “al-Hisba Body,” where the “Islamic State” Organization was focusing on the security side and controlling the area.

Intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that forces of Deir Ezzor Military Council of the Syria Democratic Forces; are positioning in the first lines in the confrontation of the “Islamic State” Organization, after the withdrawal of YPG and replacing them by al-Sh’aytat and then the withdrawal of the latter, and that’s when Deir Ezzor Military Council positioned on the contact lines with the ISIS-controlled enclave, which planted the enclave with mines intensely, including the laser mines that strained the attacking and advancing forces and caused significant casualties, where the sources confirmed that the mines and their sensitivity and intensity in the last enclave of the Organization have injuring tens of fighters of varying severity and caused amputations for some of them, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several reliable sources that tens of members of the “Islamic State” Organization have infiltrated from the last enclave of ISIS east of Euphrates to the western bank of the river, where the areas there are controlled by the regime forces, the Iranian forces, and their loyal gunmen, and that they are monitored and tolerated by the International Coalition Forces who are attacking the last enclave of the Organization, while the Syrian Observatory monitored the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition transferring tens of people and families to al-Bahra camp, which consists of tens of tents in the countryside of the Hajin town, which was established by SDF and the Coalition to accommodate the displaced families and families of members of the “Islamic State” Organization, where it is expected for the displaced people to be accommodated in the camp in the next few days, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from reliable sources who confirmed that more than 100 members of the internal Kurdish security forces “Asayish”; went to Hajin town and around it; to hold the control of points in the area after the advancement of the Syria Democratic Forces there.

The Syrian Observatory published previously that the prisons of the organization in its last enclave at the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, still contain hundreds of prisoners distributed in Hajin and Al-Shaafa, where there are 2 prisons in Al-Shaafa containing more than 1350 prisoners including members of the organization mostly of foreign nationalities with various charges such as security charges, and in Hajin town, there are about 800 prisoners accused of various charges, and the Syrian Observatory published previously, that it learned from reliable sources, that the Coalition Forces continue their intelligence search for a major tunnel in Hajin area, where the sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the French Forces in particular have obtained incomplete information about a tunnel for the organization in Hajin area, which is about 8 km long and the cars and vehicles can go through it, where the French Forces are trying to get full information about the tunnel and its location, so that the International Coalition can start the military operation, also obtained information from reliable sources reported that there are more than 65 first-rank commanders of the “Islamic State” organization in Hajin town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, the majority of them are of Iraqi nationality in addition to foreign nationalities.