The regime forces advance in the southwest of al-Bab city and violent attack by the Turkish forces and the “Euphrates Shield” in the north of the city
Clashes violently continue between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them and the elite forces of the Lebanese Hezbollah with support from the Russian artillery battalions against members of the “Islamic State” organization in the southwestern and southern areas of al-Bab city, and the regime forces after an intense shelling managed to force members of the organization to withdraw from Deirqaq village and its surrounding farms, and gain control of this village, within the framework of expanding its controlled areas in the countryside of al-Bab, after being able to reach a distance of about 2.5 – 3 km away of al-Bab city, and became at the south of Abu Taltal village near Tedef town in the south of al-Bab, and clashes were accompanied by artillery shelling by the regime forces and aerial bombardment that targeted the organization’s sites, no information about the size of human losses in the ranks of both parties as a result of these clashes.
This advancement comes in parallel with violent clashes which are taking place between the members of the “Islamic State” organization against the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic Factions of the “Euphrates Shield” operation in the northern outskirts of al-Bab city, where the last mentioned seek to advance from a new area to the city, after advancing yesterday in the western outskirts, which are still witnessing clashes between both parties, also Turkish forces and the “Euphrates Shield” are seeking to distract the organization and divide its power within the city, by opening more than one front, with a cover of intense Turkish airstrikes and violent shelling by Turkish Forces, where tens of both parties were killed and injured during the clash between both parties since the 7th of February 2017.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published hours ago that it rose to 315 civilians casualties at least, including 64 children under the age of eighteen and 36 citizen women over the age of eighteen, of who were killed as a result of the Turkish shelling on al-Bab city and its countryside and on the towns of Bzaah and Tedef, since the 13th of November 2016, the date of the arrival of a “shield Euphrates” to the outskirts of al-Bab city, and until the 9th of February 2017, and among the casualties there are 254 civilians, including 55 children under the age of eighteen and 32 citizen women, they were killed in shelling by the Turkish forces and Turkish warplanes on areas in al-Bab city and other areas in the towns of Tedef and Bzaah and other places in the countryside of al-Bab, since the first defeat for the Turkish forces in the 21st of December 2016 at the hands of the “Islamic State” organization.