The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The recent fighting in the west of the Euphrates River escalates and ISIS fights desperately to stay in its last pocket in the west of Al-Bokamal city

Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the fighting does not almost stop in the vicinity and the outskirts of ISIS last pocket remaining in the west of the Euphrates River, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored during the past 24 hours, that violent clashes are taking place between the regime forces backed by armed militiamen loyal to them of Syrian, Lebanese, Iraqi, Iranian, Afghan, and Palestinian nationalities against the members of the “Islamic State” organization of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, in the pocket extended from Al-Salihiyah area to the east of Al-Jalaa town, after the regime forces managed to achieve advancement in the area yesterday and to take the control of Hasarat area and other positions in the last pocket, and only 30 square km separate the regime forces from ending the presence of the organization in the west of the Euphrates River, and if the regime forces manage to impose their control over this area, where the fighting is taking place coinciding with intensive rocket and artillery shelling and raids by warplanes, then the organization will lose its presence in Syria with the exception of about 17 villages and town on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, as well as several villages that are under its control in the far of the southern countryside of Al-Hasakah, and ISIS last pocket in the west of Al-Bokamal, witnessed desperate resist by the organization to maintain its presence in the area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published less than 24 hours ago, that the last pocket of the “Islamic State” organization west of the Euphrates River stretching from al-Ashayer area to al-Jala’a town in the west of al-Bokamal city; is witnessing shelling by the regime forces on the pocket that still controlled by the organization west of the Euphrates, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored an escalating in the pace of clashes between the regime forces supported by the gunmen loyal to them of Syrian, Arab and Asian nationalities against members of the “Islamic State” organization, after attacks carried out by the regime forces in an attempt to advance and end the presence of the “Islamic State” organization which has been trapped in this pocket, also areas in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor witnessed airstrikes carried out by warplanes, which targeted the “Islamic State” organization’s controlled areas and positions in the vicinity of the pocket and its outskirts, and the SOHR published on Monday that the death toll has increased since the start of the second battle of Al-Bokamal on the 16th of November 2017, to 219 persons at least, the number of casualties of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them of Syrian, Lebanese, Iraqi, Iranian, Afghan and Palestinian nationalities who were killed in Al-Bokamal city and its vicinity and countryside, including 101 Syrian members, and 16 members of the Lebanese Hezbollah, while the rest members are of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces as well as , Iraqi, Iranian, Palestinian and Afghan members, and the total death toll includes 30 members of who were killed in clashes in the vicinity and the countryside of Al-Bokamal, during the past 10 days, and the number of the casualties of the “Islamic State” organization who were killed in these clashes during the same period, has increased to 228 members at least, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the injury of tens of them with varying degrees of severity, which may raise the death toll.

Also the Syrian observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that the death toll has increased to 244 casualties including 65 children below the age of 18 and 42 women, whose death was documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights since the 8th of November 2017, the date of starting the first control on Al-Bokamal city, until today the 5th of December 2017, in shelling by the regime forces and the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, airstrikes by Russian and regime warplanes, airstrikes by the International Coalition’s warplanes. The martyrs are 174 citizen including 49 children and 33 women, who were killed in airstrikes by Russian and regime warplanes on villages and towns and cities of the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and 26 citizens including 15 children and 5 women, who were killed in shelling, the sources said its source was the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, and 27 citizens including 3 women were killed in shelling by International Coalition’s warplanes, and 17 citizens including a child and a woman who were killed in shelling by the regime forces by artillery and missiles shells on areas in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and the artillery, missile and aerial shelling targeted villages, cities and towns of Abu Hamam, al-Kashkiyyeh, Darnaj, Al-Bokamal, Marashdah, Sha’afah, Sbikhan, Al-Abbas, Al-Baghuz, Al-Siyyal, Hasrat, Al-Ghira, Hajin, and other areas on the banks of the Euphrates River, and the camps of Souh Al-Rifai, Al-Sukkariya, and gathering of civilians near water crossing between both banks, while the aerial and ground shelling left about 420 others injured with different severity, including tens of children and women, and some of the injured suffered imputations and permanent disabilities, while there is number of the missing, whose fate is still unknown, and some of the injured are still in serious conditions, which may increase the death toll.