ISIS takes the regime forces and the clan forces by surprise again east of Al-Raqqah and advances south of Ghanim al-Ali area
The southern banks of the Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah, witnessed violent clashes between regime forces supported by Russian trained-and-armed clan forces and regime forces and gunmen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities on one hand, and the members of the “Islamic State” organization on the other, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from a number of reliable sources, that ISIS, and after losing again the area which is extended from Dalha to Ghanim al-Ali, in the south of the Euphrates River, carried out a new attack more to the south, targeting the Oil Fields and Al-Salam Alyakom areas south of Ghanim al-Ali town, amid explosion shook the area, as a result of exploding members of the organization to themselves using explosive belts, that forced regime forces to withdraw from their positions in the area, and there was confirmed information about casualties in the ranks of regime forces and the gunmen loyal to them.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 26th of August 2017 that regime forces managed to achieve wide advancement after the organization managed to dismiss them from most of the southern banks of the Euphrates River, and regime forces started during the past 24 hours a counter-attack supported by Russian warplanes and a cover of intensive artillery and rocket shelling, on areas where ISIS advanced previously, the violent attack resulted in regaining the area which is located between Dalha an the east of Ghanim Al-Ali town, the fighting and shelling also resulted in the death of members of ISIS, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the killing of 28 members at least of the organization in addition to the injury of others with varying degrees of severity, and the destruction of vehicles and positions where they were fortified, and confirmed information about the killing of members of regime forces and gunmen loyal to them, thus, the number of casualties who were killed in the ranks of the both parties, has increased to 75 persons in less than 72 hours of the continuous fighting between the both parties, and the exchange of control in the area which is located on the southern banks of the Euphrates River, while the organization still control about 25 kilometers of the southern banks of the Euphrates River, from the extended area east of Ghanim Al-Ali town to the administrative border of the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah with the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, after its control extended for about 45 km along the southern banks of the Euphrates River between the east of Dalha and the administrative border with Deir Ezzor.
The SOHR published on Friday the 25th of August that it documented during the past 24 hours the death of more than 34 members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen and the arrest of others, one of whom was beheaded by a knife along with the injury of others, with varied degrees of severity. This came as a result of the attack launched by ISIS which enabled it to regain control over the areas extending from east of Ghanim Al-Ali town to Al-Sabkha area and to expand its scope of control to an area of 40 km of the southern banks of the Euphrates in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah. In addition, the regime forces which had reached the outskirts of Ma’dan city, the last city under the control of ISIS in al-Raqqah, are now 30 km away from its west.
The SOHR also documented the death of at least 12 ISIS members during this attack, which is considered the most violent counter attack targeting the regime forces at the southern banks of the Euphrates in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah. The SOHR published on the 5th of August 2017 that the regime forces took control of a number of villages and housing complexes located between Ghanim Al-Ali and Ma’dan city and that they were only 4 km away from the walls of Ma’dan city, which is considered the last city under the control of ISIS in Al-Raqqah Province. Such an important advancement was achieved under the cover of intensive violent missile strikes and shelling by the regime forces and raids carried out by the Russian and the regime’s warplanes, destroying hundreds of houses, shops, buildings, infrastructures and public utilities. The SOHR also published on the 29th of July 2017 that the regime forces managed to make a new strategic advancement as they took control of Ghanim Al-Ali town, located at the southern banks of the Euphrates in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah. In addition, they took control of villages located to its west and between Ghanim Al-Ali town and Al-Sharida village following the several withdrawals ISIS was forced to make before getting fully besieged by the regime forces backed by their allied militiamen and the tribal forces.