The “Islamic State” organization loses its stronghold in Al-Raqqah city and its presence in the province is completely lost
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities and the Russian trained-and-armed clan forces, with the help of the Russian warplanes, managed to take the control of the last stronghold of ISIS in Al-Raqqah province, it is Madan city which is located on the southern banks of the Euphrates River in Al-Raqqah countryside, after violent clashes took place against the “Islamic State” organization, so the organization lost its presence in the whole province of Al-Raqqah as a controlling organization, after it used to control the province earlier, in which the regime forces are combing the area searching for hiding members or pockets of the organization in it.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published hours ago that the regime forces managed to achieve an important advancement in the area and controlled at least 5 villages from the organization, after less than 72 hours of besieging what is left of areas controlled by the organization east of Al-Raqqah countryside by the regime forces, after the regime’s last advancement and control of the entire west banks of the Euphrates in the northwestern Deir Ezzor, and if the regime forces were able to control Madan city in the coming hours, then the eastern southern countryside of Al-Raqqah will be completely free of the organization, and the “Islamic State” organization will lose its presence in the province completely.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 20th of September 2017 that the northwestern countryside of Deir Ezzor city is witnessing the collapse and retreat of the “Islamic State” organization, amid and advancement of the regime forces at its expense. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the regime forces while achieving an advancement in the area with the support of their allied militiamen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, and their control over villages and towns on the western banks of the Euphrates River in the northwestern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where the regime forces advanced and extended their areas of control to be more than 100 km as they also managed to control the entire western banks of the Euphrates River and the northwestern countryside of Deir Ezzor city, after they controlled an areas not more than 4 kilometers.
The advancement of the regime forces, which came under a cover of missile and artillery shelling and aerial bombardment by Russian and the regime’s warplanes and the militiamen allied to the regime forces, allowed the regime forces to reach the administrative border of the province with the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah, in which the “Islamic state” organization exists and controls Madan city, which is the last city controlled by ISIS in the province of Al-Raqqa. ISIS also controls several villages nearby the city of Madan on the southern banks of the Euphrates River.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 21st of September 2017 that the presence of the “Islamic State” organization had ended in Al-Raqqah city, which used to be its stronghold and former capital in Syria, the sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the remaining members of the “Islamic State” organization are still in hiding in cellars and dungeons in the area between the Municipal Stadium and the Air Intelligence in Al-Raqqah city. This comes 108 days after the start of the Grand Battle of Al-Raqqah which was announced on the 6th of June 2017, the aim of which was to expel the “Islamic State” organization completely out of Al-Raqqah city and control it by the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces led by the Syria Democratic Forces and with the support of the US special forces.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from reliable sources that the Syria Democratic Forces and the US Special Forces have started sweeping operations for the entire city, where the density of mines planted by the “Islamic State” organization is hampering the Syria Democratic Forces from finishing the sweep operations quickly, also the extensive destruction of more than 80% of Al-Raqqah city hampers the arrival of forces to the entire streets and roads of the city, also the sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that declaring the control of the entire city will come after the end of the sweep operations in the city, and after controlling the narrow spot in which hidden members of the organization may exist.