The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The regime forces achieves a new advancement in the eastern section of the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah and become about 18 kilometers away from the southern banks of Euphrates

The eastern part of the countryside of Al-Raqqah is witnessing the continuation of the clashes at a violent pace between the regime forces led by groups and support of their loyal gunmen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against members of the “Islamic State” organization, the clashes are concentrated in al-Sabkha area located to the east of Resafa town, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the regime forces managed to achieve an advancement in the area located to the north of al-Bashri mountain, and controlled a village, gas station, oil well and empty areas of the desert, and the clashes are accompanied by heavy and intense shelling by the regime forces on areas of presence and control of the organization in the southeastern countryside of Al-Raqqah, where the regime forces have become about 18 km away from the Euphrates River and from the most last town controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces and the forces of Manbij Military Council supported by the International Coalition at the southern banks of the Euphrates River.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on Saturday the 22nd of July 2017 that the clashes were accompanied by explosions, exchange of shelling, and bombing by the Russian warplanes as well as regime’s warplanes, and heavy shelling by the regime forces on organization’s sites and controlled areas in Homs and Hama, which killed more members of both parties, where the Syrian Observatory has documented since the 17th of July 2017 the date of end of existence of the “Islamic State” organization in the western half of the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah and in the western countryside of Al-Raqqah, until today the 22nd of July 2017 the death of at least 57 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, including 6 officers at least, while it rose to at least 37, the number of members of the “Islamic State” organization who were killed in the same period.

The regime forces were able on the 17th of July 2017 to achieve an important advancement and control oil fields in the eastern half of the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that this important advancement allowed the regime forces to reach the outskirts of the strategic mountain of al-Bashri, which is a rugged-terrain mountain and one of the most important strongholds of the “Islamic State” organization in Syria, where this mountain witnessed the visit of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi -the leader of the “Islamic State” organization- to meet with military and security commanders of the organization earlier, the mountain is extending within the administrative borders of 3 provinces and is one of the important centers of which the organization has been depending on in the supply operations and securing commanders.

This advancement comes hours after the important advancement achieved by the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian, Iranian Iraqi and Lebanese nationalities; in the southern and southwestern countryside of Al-Raqqah, during which the regime forces were able to end the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in the western half of the southern countryside of Al-Raqqah and in the western countryside of Al-Raqqah, also the regime forces have recovered hundreds of kilometers from the “Islamic State” organization in the past 72 hours, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published that the regime forces, with intensive shelling on the organization’s positions, managed to achieve an important advancement and control oilfields in the southern countryside of al-Raqqa near the administrative border of al-Raqqa with Homs, while the members of the organization withdrew from other oilfields west of the advancement area, and the regime forces started to cleanse the area of which the organization has withdrawn. With this advancement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the end of the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in the western and southwestern countryside of al-Raqqa city, and the “Islamic state” organization only controls an area extending from the south of al-Kasrat area, to the SDF-held line adjacent to the Euphrates River to the east of al-Resafa and to the administrative borders of Homs and the administrative borders with Deir Ezzor, in addition to parts of al-Raqqa province.