The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The “Islamic State” organization possesses chemical weapons in its capital in Syria, fears for the lives of tens of thousands of civilian who remain in the city

* The Organization of “Caliphate State” intends to use its chemical weapons stockpile in the last round of the grand battle of Al-Raqqah”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received trusted information about the possession of the “Islamic State” organization in Al-Raqqah city for chemical weapons, reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the organization which has lost more than half of a Al-Raqqah city; keeps chemical weapons in its areas of presence in the city which used to be considered its main stronghold and its capital in Syria, and the organization intends to use this weapon with the arrival of the grand battle of Al-Raqqah to its end; and when the Syria Democratic forces supported by the US Special Forces achieve wider control over Al-Raqqah city, which on a daily basis, is witnessing intense shelling and bombing by the International Coalition and the forces of the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation, which accompany the clashes and the hit-and-run battles and the operations of the advancement in the city.

These trusted information increase the concerns of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights over the lives of tens of thousands of Syrian civilians, who will certainly be affected by the chemical weapons if they were used by the “Islamic State” organization, where tens of thousands of civilians are staying between the anvil of the “Islamic State” organization and the hammer of the International Coalition and the forces of the “Euphrates Wrath” operation, where hundreds them were killed by bombing by the International Coalition during the past eight weeks.

It worth mentioning that the Syria Democratic Forces in 8 weeks of the grand battle of Al-Raqqah took over of more than half of Al-Raqqah city, where over the last 24 hours they controlled most of the southern part of Al-Raqqah city, after their control over the entire neighbourhood of Nazlat Shhada and large parts of the neighbourhood of Hisham bin Abdul Malik, and after their forces coming from the east from Hisham bin Abdul Malek neighborhood were able to meet the forces coming from the west from Nazlat Shhada neighbourhood, after taking control of the Political Security building, while the organization had booby-trapped the northern section of Al-Raqqah city, in an attempt to prevent the Syria Democratic Forces from advancing in this area to Al-Raqqah city.

It also worth mentioning that earlier Russia did not agree on the withdrawal of the “Islamic State” organization towards Deir Ezzor province, threatening to target the retreating column of Al-Raqqah city if an agreement was reached between the “Islamic State” organization and the Syria Democratic Forces via notables of Al-Raqqah city, also the Syrian Observatory published on Monday the 31st of July 2017 that it documented that the airstrikes of the International Coalition warplanes, the intensive shelling on the city of Al-Raqqah and its outskirts, and the military operations taking place in the city, including bombardments, bombings and clashes with the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces, which  are formed of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian Elite Forces and the US Special Forces backed by the Coalition’s warplanes, since the beginning of the Grand Battle of Al-Raqqah on the 6th of June 2017 until the 31st of 2017, have killed at least 807 fighters. On one hand, the death of at least 551 members of the “Islamic State” organization, including local commanders and group commanders, has been documented by SOHR.  In addition, information about more casualties among ISIS and the injury of tens of others was confirmed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented over the same period of time the death of 256 fighters of the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces, including 2 fighters of the Syrian Elite Forces and 4 fighters of American, Georgian and British nationalities. The rest are fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces, who are mainly formed of the YPG, and fighters of Manbij Military Council, who were killed in bombardments and bombings and during clashes with the “Islamic State” organization in the city of Al-Raqqah and the southern banks of the Euphrates.