The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Clashes of Tlul al-Safa drain the regime forces and their allies after killing more than 325 members and gunmen villagers during about 16 weeks of clashes in al-Suwaidaa desert and Rif Dimashq

The regime forces and their allies of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities continue their attacks on the “Islamic State” Organization in Rif Dimashq, which is located at the administrative border with al-Suwaidaa, where the violent clashes between both parties continue within Tlul al-Safa area, in continuous attempts by the regime forces to control more areas and to force the Organization to surrender, and the clashes are accompanied by rocket shelling, in addition to aerial bombardment carried out occasionally by warplanes targeting sites and points of the Organization in the area, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored new reinforcements of military forces brought by the regime forces during the past 24 hours, including tens of fighters and vehicles, and the process of controlling Tlul al-Safa area turned from a control battle to attrition war for the regime forces and their allies, where the regime forces were not able to control of rugged terrain area, and started losing more members, and although they have been bringing in successive batches of reinforcements, they have not been able to control the area, at the same time, they were not able to release the entire abductees.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented more human casualties in the renewed clashes between both parties; accompanied by aerial and missile bombings, where it rose to at least 212, the number of members of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them who were killed in the bombings, shelling and clashes since the 25th of July 2018, including members of the Lebanese Hezbollah among them a Lebanese commander as well as officers of the regime forces with varying ranks the highest of which are Major Generals, also it rose to 386 at least, the number of ISIS members who were killed in the bombing, shelling and clashes since the 25th of July 2018, and the clashes also resulted in the injury of hundreds others with varying severity, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of about 142 citizens including 38 women and children, who were executed or shot by the “Islamic State” organization, in addition to the killing of 116 people, the majority of whom were of the gunmen villagers who carried the gun to repel the organization’s attack, and a 19-year-old boy and a citizen woman were executed by ISIS after being kidnapped along with 28 others, and a woman died when she was held by ISIS in conditions that still vague so far.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 4th of November 2018 that the desert of Rif Dimashq located at the administrative border with al-Suwaidaa, is witnessing the continuation of the military operations by the regime forces and their allies of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against the “Islamic State” Organization in Tlul al-Safa area, the last of what remained for the Organization in the area, where the clashes continue between both parties in constant attempts by the regime forces and their allies to control more sites and points from the Organization, to end its presence in the area, using the help of aerial and ground bombardment, also the continuous clashes left more casualties in ranks of both parties, also, the continuation of these military operations comes with continued public dissatisfaction in the al-Suwaidaa Province, in the light of the failure of the regime’s authorities to reach an agreement with the “Islamic State” Organization, in order to release the remainder of people abducted by the Organization from Al-Suwaidaa countryside, who are 21 people: 14 children and 7 citizen women, after the Organization released 4 children and 2 women on the 20th of October 2018, within the first phase of the deal between both parties through intermediaries, but the deal stopped afterwards, which provoked the resentment and anger of the families of the abductees and all the people of al-Suwaidaa and its countryside, where the rest of the abductees are facing an unknown fate, amid fears for their lives that the Organization may carry out a new execution similar to previous operations to put pressure on the authorities of the Syrian regime.

The Syrian Observatory also published that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the increase of resentment throughout al-Suwaidaa and its countryside, against the backdrop of the failure of negotiations in the case of al-Suwaidaa abductees; between authorities of the Syrian regime and between the “Islamic State” Organization through intermediaries, amid fears for the lives of the remaining 21 abductees who are still held by the Organization, they are 14 children and 7 citizen women, where the second phase of the deal was supposed to take place during the past few days by releasing a new batch of them in exchange for releasing detained females by regime’s authorities from their detention centers, of who were demanded by the organization as one of the conditions of the deal, but the negotiations failed and the exchange between both parties ceased, and also the clashes between them returned to the contact areas within Tlul al-Safa in Rif Dimashq at the administrative border with al-Suwaidaa, where the area is witnessing renewed clashes every now and then between the “Islamic State” Organization against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, accompanied by renewed aerial and missile shelling and exchange of targeting that left more casualties in the ranks of both parties.