About 65 fighters and members were killed in 6 consecutive days of Hama countryside battle between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and the regime
More than 310 strikes carried out by warplanes in 6 days targeted more than 20 villages and gathering in the northeastern countryside of Hama
Warplanes and helicopters are still flying in the northeastern countryside of Hama and they almost have never left it since the midnight of Sunday the 22nd of October 2017, during which the Syrian Observatory documented the targeting of these warplanes by more than 310 airstrikes on places controlled by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, which are: Shatib, Arafa, Tal Khanzir, Shakusiyyah, Qasr Bin Wardan, Jeb al-Sekkar, Abu Dali, al-Daferiyyeh, Qasr Shawi, al-Khaldiyyeh, Rabdeh, Ebb al-Khaznah, Muwaileh, Hawayis, al-Rwidah, al-Hamdaniyyeh, Jeb al-Sekkar, al-Himaniyyeh, Zaghbar, al-Rahjan and other residential gatherings and other sites controlled by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham in the area.
This intensive aerial bombardment which is accompanied by heavy shelling by the regime forces, has targeted the aforementioned areas with hundreds of shells during the period itself, in conjunction with an offensive by the regime forces on the area started on Tuesday the 24th of October 2017, where daily clashes are taking in several areas in the northeastern countryside between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them against Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, and the Syrian Observatory monitored that the regime forces were able to achieve several advancement since they started their offensive until now, represented by taking control of villages and gatherings in the area, which are: Rahraha, Rasm al-Ahmar, Rasm Sawwan, Jeb Abyad, al-Shahatiyyah, Khirbat Jwi’eid and other points in the area, where the regime forces have begun their operations in the area starting from Wadi al-Azeeb area, and reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the regime forces have advanced in some of the residential gatherings after the withdrawal of the organization, during the recent attack on sites of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham in the same countryside.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has also documented the death of tens of fighters and members of both parties since the 22nd of October 2017, they were killed in the clashes, aerial and rocket shelling, where at least 41 members of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham were killed including several leaders, also 23 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them were killed, while tens of others of both parties were injured.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 9th of October 2017, that the “Islamic State” organization crossed by vehicles with medium and heavy weapons and reached areas controlled by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, where the organization started attacking areas controlled by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and managed to advance quickly and abruptly, and took control of about 15 villages, followed by a violent counterattack by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham in which it regained to re-control about 5 villages, while Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham brought military reinforcements of members and vehicles, in order to continue the attack and recover the entire lost areas as well as arresting the organization’s members who carried out the attack, and information about casualties in the ranks of both parties as a result of these clashes, which were accompanied by exchange of shelling, also SOHR received information about capturing members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham by the organized during its control of a village, and information about carrying out executions by the organization against prisoners of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, where the sources confirmed that the “Islamic State” Organization has reneged the agreement between it and between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham earlier, and that their families of children, women, young men and non-fighter men will be entered to the areas controlled by the factions, and that members of organization are prevented from entering, and any member or fighter of the organization who may enter will be either captured or killed.