On an area of about 40000 km², ISIS expands its activities in the Syrian desert and kills about 70 of the regime forces and their allies of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities in less than a month
In the shadow of the helplessness of the Russian and Iranian forces, along with the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them, in carrying out military operations within the vast geographical area controlled by the “Islamic State” Organization in the Syrian Desert, which stretches from Jabal Abu Rjameen northeast of Palmyra down to the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, within an area of up to 4000 km²; the Organization is heading towards the regime forces and their loyal militias of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, in several areas of the Syrian Desert, executing attacks and ambushes not caring for their fortifications and their missile and air support, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored a significant escalation in attacks of the “Islamic State” Organization and its cells within several areas west of Euphrates River and in the Syrian Desert, since the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces announced victory over ISIS in east Euphrates area on the 23rd of March 2019
Since announcing the official victory over it east of Euphrates, the Organization has sent messages to the international community by stepping up its attacks in various parts of the Syrian territory, and despite the decline in operations of the Organization’s retaliation in the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas east of Euphrates; the west Euphrates areas and the Syrian desert witnessed a large escalation during the above-mentioned period in an area of about 40000 square kilometers, where the Organization attacked the regime forces and the local gunmen loyal to them al-Karaa area in the northeastern desert of Al-Suwaidaa, and the aerial bombardment it suffered there did not prevent it from carrying out another attack on the same area, so that was followed by another attack targeted Boqruss area at the west bank of Euphrates, where the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them are present, and the Organization did not had enough with these attacks, so it stepped them up in the deserts of Homs and Deir Ezzor, where it ambushed regime’s loyal gunmen in the southern desert of al-Mayadin, and attacked the regime forces in the southeastern desert of Deir Ezzor, and perhaps the latest attack on al-Kom area and besieging 2 battalions was the heaviest attack out of all the recent attacks, in which tens of members were killed of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, preceded by an attack by the Organization in al-Quriyah desert east of Deir Ezzor causing casualties and injuries.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented serious casualties in the period between the 24th of March 2019 and Saturday, the 20th of April 2019, where at least 69 of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities were killed, and among the total number of casualties there are at least 2 Russians, in addition to 9 pro-Iranian militias of non-Syrian nationalities, they were killed during attacks, bombings, and ambushes by the “Islamic State” Organization in the west of Euphrates and the deserts of Deir Ezzor, Homs, and Al-Suwaidaa, and the Syrian Observatory documented the killing of 22 members of the “Islamic State” Organization, they were killed during the same period in attacks, shelling, and targeting.
The high resolution link to the map of power distribution and conflict in Syria illustrates the areas of attacks carried out by the Islamic State in the Syrian desert.
