After bringing large reinforcements…one village in the east of the Euphrates River separates the regime forces from imposing the siege on ISIS inside Deir Ezzor
Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the violent clashes are still continuing between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities and clan forces with the participation of the Russian forces on one hand, and the members of the “Islamic State” organization on the other, in areas in the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, where the regime forces managed to cross in the 18th of September 2017, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the regime forces managed to achieve advancement in the area and imposed their control on 4 villages opposite Deir Ezzor city and its Military Airbase, on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, and reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the regime forces managed to advance in the villages of Marrat, Hatla, Mazlum and Khesham, after bringing large military reinforcements of vehicles, supplies and members, which crossed the Euphrates River, through the moving bridges which were set up by Russia on the Euphrates River.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored that the regime forces seek by this advancement to impose the siege on the “Islamic State” organization inside Deir Ezzor, where the regime forces backed by ground Russian forces as well as Russian warplanes, are trying to force the “Islamic State” organization to withdraw before imposing the siege on it, by an operation in which they will encircle the town and impose a siege on it from the east of the Euphrates River, and close all ways out of the city, as only one village still separates the regime forces to impose that siege.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 25th of September 2017, that 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.