The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

An assassination targets the head of one of the local councils in a neighborhood in Al-Raqqah city as a part of the continuation of the active cells to spread disorder and security chaos

Al-Raqqah Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored an assassination in Al-Raqqah city, by cells believed to be of the “Islamic State” organization, where unidentified gunmen shot the head of one of the local councils of Al-Hadiqah al-Baydaa neighborhood (the White Garden) in Al-Raqqah city, which is the former stronghold of the organization and its de-facto capital in Syria, and this assassination comes as a part of the operations for spreading disorder and security chaos within the controlled areas of the Syria Democratic Forces, by cells of the organization and other cells related to regional parties, also 2 explosions were heard in the area of Al-Raqqah city, and it is not known the reasons and nature of both explosions so far, while the Syrian observatory published that an explosion rocked Al-Raqqah city after the midnight of Monday – Tuesday the 12th of February 2019, it turned out that it was caused by the explosion of a landmine in Al-Forosiyyeh area in Al-Raqqah city, which caused material damage, without information about human losses so far, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 7th of February 2019, that it obtained information from several reliable sources, that the security forces in al-Raqqah city has been carrying out raids and searches since the morning of the 7th of February from 2019, where they are searching for cells of the “Islamic State” Organization in al-Raqqah city the former capital of the “Islamic State” Organization in Syria and the main stronghold of the Organization, and reliable sources confirmed that 66 people have been arrested so far, while the raids continue in search for wanted people accused of belonging to ISIS cells and cells linked to regional parties, which in recent weeks and months carried out series of bombings and assassinations that caused casualties, where the Syrian Observatory published on Monday, the 4th of February 2019 that an explosion was heard today evening, Monday the 4th of February 2019, it turned out that it was caused by the explosion of an IED in a vehicle of the Internal Security Forces (Asayish), in Al-Nour neighborhood in Al-Raqqah city, which resulted in the fall of wounded and caused material damage, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 29th of January 2019, that this morning an explosion was heard in al-Raqqah city, it was caused by a new bombing in the city, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: unknown gunmen detonated an improvised explosive device in an area near al-Watani Hospital in the middle of al-Raqqah city this morning, the 29th of January 2019, which injured about 5 people with varying wounds, and this explosion comes in a new episode of the series of bombings and assassinations in al-Raqqah by active cells that follow different parties, where the Syrian Observatory published On the 24th of January  2019 that several explosions shook al-Raqqah city which is under the control of the Syria Democratic Forces on Thursday evening, it turned out that it was caused by targeting by unidentified gunmen using grenades for one of the headquarters of the Syria Democratic Forces in the city, which caused injuries until the moment in addition to material damage in the area, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 9th of January 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights an explosion rocked today evening, Wednesday, Al-Tabqa city in Al-Raqqah province, it turned out that it was caused by the explosion of an IED in a vehicle of the Syria Democratic Forces, which caused material damage, without information so far about human losses, in the same context, explosions rocked Al-Raqqah city which is under the control of the SDF east of Syria, amid conflicting information about the incident, where the Internal Security Forces in Al-Raqqah denied any attacks on any of their headquarters, while other sources from the Syria Democratic Forces confirmed that 2 members of the SDF were killed in an attack on one of the headquarters in Al-Panorama area in Al-Raqqah city, another explosion also rocked today evening, Wednesday, the city of Al-Raqqah, it was caused by an IED explosion in front of a school in Al-Hal Market in Al-Raqqah city, which caused material damage, and the Syrian Observatory published yesterday, that an explosion was heard in the middle of the city, intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that it was caused by a motorcycle explosion in al-Noor Street area, which caused material damage and confirmed information about the fall of injuries in the bombing, to be the second bombing hits the city during the last 24 hours.

The Syrian Observatory has monitored another explosion in Al-Raqqah a day before the US decision to withdraw its forces from the area, where the Syrian Observatory published on the 18th of December 2018 that  a violent explosion was heard in Al-Raqqah city, which is controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces, which used to be ISIS main stronghold and capital in Syria, before it lost the city, and intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, that the sound was caused by the explosion of a motorcycle in a house where members of a sleeper cell of the “Islamic State” organization, were located, where the motorcycle was prepared for being detonated which resulted in the death of one of them and the injury of 2 others with varying severity, the sources also confirmed that the security forces and while checking the site of the explosion in the area of Sekket al-Qitar neighborhood north of the city, found firearms with silencers as well as other equipment inside the house where the cell was stationed, and the SOHR published on the 15th of December 2018, that it monitored an assassination took place in the al-Raqqah city, against a lawyer of the city, which sued to be the main stronghold of the “Islamic State” organization and controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces, where unidentified gunmen opened fire in al-Thakanah area in al-Raqqah city which killed him, and this incident comes after about 45 days of an assassination by the “Islamic State” Organization for a prominent notable of an Arab clan, Bashir al-Hwydi, where he was shot by his gun at the center of the city, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 5th  of December 2018 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from reliable sources, that the security forces in al-Raqqah countryside, has arrested a cell of 3 persons with equipment and mines which they tried to plant in the countryside of Ein Issa area, in the north-western countryside of Al-Raqqah, where these 3 persons were accused of being pushed by Turkey to cause a state of disorder and security chaos in the area, and this incident comes about a day after the Syrian Observatory published that, it received information from several reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that security forces in Manbij area have arrested a sleeper cell in the area which is controlled by the forces of Manbij Military Council west of Euphrates River, in the northeastern sector of Aleppo countryside, and in the details confirmed by the trusted sources: the arrest took place during the last 24 hours against a sleeper cell accused of belonging to Turkey, and the arrest of this cell came after several bombings in Manbij city and its outskirts by unknown gunmen, who planted IEDs and mines targeting military and civilian people within the area, in which there are forces from the International Coalition especially the US Forces.

And on the 25th of November 2018, the “Islamic State” organization declared its responsibility of the assassination that was carried out in early November 2018, which targeted one of the sheikhs of an Arab clan and who is also one of the  most prominent members of the Local Council, in Al-Raqqah city center -the former stronghold of the organization before it was expelled from it where the Syria Democratic Forces imposed their control over the area- few days after demands to the International Coalition to reveal the circumstances of his assassination and investigate the case, and after the state of anger in Al-Raqqah city, which was accompanied by accusations of eliminating him by intelligence agents, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has received a copy of a video filmed by the organization, shows the execution of a member of the SDF before 3 of his captured comrades, after they were all captured in clashes shown in the video that they were in the vicinity of the enclave that the organization controls in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where a member of the organization appeared in the video talking about the ongoing events and directing a message to the families of the fighters of SDF, until he said “neither your homes nor houses are save from the shelling of those your sons fighting under the cover of their warplanes, but you are still not living in peace, they unwillingly recruited your sons, and threw them in the fronts, and Jund Al-Khilafah (the Soldiers of the Caliphate) are roaming in your areas, harvesting the heads of all of those cooperate with them, and al-Hwydi is not far off from you”, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 2nd of November 2018, that a state of tension prevails al-Raqqah city as a result of an assassination of one of the most prominent elders of the Arab clan of al-Afadela, where he was assassinated in his car by gunfire from an unidentified gunman, probably from cells of the “Islamic State” Organization, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the assassination of Bashir al-Hwydi -how is a member of al-Raqqah Civil Council- took place in al-Nour street in al-Raqqah city, which is controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, and the assassination was carried out by a person who rode with him in the car, pulled the pistol of Hwydi from him, and killed him, amid fears of similar assassinations that may take place in the future against political and military figures by assassination cells and cells of the “Islamic State” Organization.

And the Syrian Observatory published on the 20th of November 2018 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the Turkish authorities are supervising on forming sleeper cells that active within areas of control of the Syria Democratic Forces east of Euphrates, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory: the Turkish authorities are forming cells under the supervision of their intelligence, composed mostly from people of al-Raqqah and Deir Ezzor provinces, and oversees their training in secret training camps within areas of control of the Euphrates Shield Operation Forces, in Afrin area and in the northern countryside of Aleppo, where they are trained on the bombings and assassinations and carrying them out in a precise and fast manner. The sources confirmed that the process of forming the cells and sending them to areas east of Euphrates; come as the Turkish intelligence service exploiting the personal cards of Syrians known as “Kimlik”, which are being delivered by the Syrian citizens when leaving the Turkish territory towards any neighboring country, where cards of Syrian citizens are being used and these cells are sent to areas controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces east of Euphrates, while reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that tens of thousands of Syrians who have left Turkey in recent months and years; their personal cards which were issued in Turkey have been kept and deposited with the Turkish records, while they are being used to pass these cells under the pretext of visiting their relatives, while these cells work to carry out assassinations against leading, political, and military personalities in addition to trying to create a rift between components of the society within the east of Euphrates area, and the Syrian Observatory published on the 30th of October 2018, that the Turkish authorities and intelligence failed in creating a clannish sedition in Al-Raqqah countryside, one of their attempts was represented by the try of 8 persons of Al-Hanadi Clan, to create a sedition between this clan and between Al-Boassaf Clan, through kidnapping one of the members of the latter clan, beating and insulting him, in the name of “Al-Hanadi Clan”, in Al-Buz area in Tal Abyad countryside, then the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) arrested and investigated them, where reliable sources confirmed that they confessed that they were propelled by Turkey to create a clannish sedition, in an attempt to create a state of disorder in the area, along with the Turkish preparations for a military operation against the area of the east of the Euphrates, which is controlled by the SDF, and the video that shows the young men torturing the man of Al-Boassaf Clan who they kidnapped, became widespread, but the intervene of nobles and dignitaries as well as the Kurdish Internal Security Forces between the both clans, clarified the points of view between them, and prevented a clannish fighting that the members of the sleeper cells aimed to ignite between the clans.