ISIS recovers a town and villages it lost in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah and extends its control to about 40 km along the southern Euphrates bank
The southern bank of the Euphrates are witnessing the most violent counterattack by the “Islamic State” organization, and the regime forces escape from the areas which they took control over the past month
Al-Raqqah Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: The eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah city is witnessing a violent and intense shelling by the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them and bombing by Russian warplanes, coincides with violent clashes between the regime forces, their loyal gunmen and the clan forces trained and armed by Russia; against members of the “Islamic State” organization, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the “Islamic State” organization managed to advance and regained control of the area extending from the town of Ghanim al-Ali to al-Sabkha area, expanding its control over the southern banks of the Euphrates, and the with this advancement the organization took control of about 40 km from Sabkha village to the administrative borders between the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah and the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, where this violent attack by the “Islamic State” organization was accompanied by explosions of booby trapped vehicles and heavy shelling targeted the areas of presence of the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them and their controlled areas, and confirmed information about the killing and injury of members from both parties during these clashes and military operations.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 5th of August 2017 that the regime forces managed to achieve an important advancement, as a part of their attempt to end the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in the rest of the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah, where they took control of a number of villages and residential areas between the town of Ghanim Al Ali and Madan city, and less than 4 kilometers separating the regime forces from arriving to the walls of the city of Madan, which is considered the last city controlled by the organization in Al-Raqqah Province.
This important advancement was supported by a cover of intensive and violent shelling by the regime forces with shells and missiles, and the raids carried out by regime’s warplanes as well as the Russian warplanes, which destroyed hundreds of houses, shops, buildings, infrastructures and public facilities.
Also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published the regime forces achieved a new and important advancement, where they controlled the town of Ghanim al-Ali, located on the southern banks of the Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah, also they took control of villages located west of it and located between the town of Ghanim al-Ali and the village of al-Shridah, following withdrawals the organization was forced to carry out before being besieged by the regime forces supported by their loyal gunmen and the clan forces.