The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

In its repel attacks, ISIS kills at least 79 members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen including 7 Russians in the eastern banks of the Euphrates River

Deir Ezzor province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:: the violent clashes are still ongoing between the regime forces and their allied militiamen against members of ISIS near the eastern banks of the Euphrates River opposite to the city of Deir Ezzor and its military base, and the death toll is still increasing in the ranks of the regime forces and their allied militiamen backed by the Russian forces, where it rose to 79, including at least 7 members of the Russian forces, the number of the regime forces and their allied militiamen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, who were killed by ISIS members in their violent and repel attacks on the regime forces-held areas and their car bombs and suicide belts targeting these areas in the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, also tens were injured with different severity, some of whom are still in serious conditions, which may increase the death toll, while the Russian warplanes carried out heavy airstrikes on areas north of Khasham town adjacent to oil fields east of the Euphrates in the countryside of Deir Ezzor, including Koniko gas field which is controlled by the SDF.

This death toll in the ranks of the regime forces and their allied militiamen comes since the 18th of September, the date the regime forces and the Russian forces crossed the river through the water bridges and the boats, where the SOHR monitored the members of ISIS withdrawing the dead members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen and move around the villages and areas under the organization control, in an attempt to show off their “power and ability to defeat the attackers”.

The SOHR published on the 18th of September 2017 that scouting forces of the regime forces crossed the Euphrates River to the eastern bank of it which is opposite Deir Ezzor city under a Russian cover, through water crossing following intensive shelling by the regime forces that targeted the area opposite to Deir Ezzor military base and the areas of Jafra and Mar’iyah which were recently controlled by the regime forces.

The Syrian Observatory on the 10th of September that the regime forces managed to open the artery coming from Damascus, and the operation of lifting the siege was carried out on 3 stages the first was to lift the siege on the Brigade 137, then lifting the siege of Deir Ezzor Military Airport and the bloc of neighborhoods related to it, and the third stage was to reach the western entrance of Deir Ezzor city at the area of Panorama area after taking the control of Damascus – Deir Ezzor road.