After Putin’s visit to Syria, the fighting escalates east of Deir Ezzor and ISIS increases its attacks against the regime forces west of the Euphrates

Military operation are still ongoing west and east of the Euphrates, which also escalated within the past 24 hours, following the visit paid by the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Hmeimim base in the countryside of Jablah in Lattakia province, where he met President of the Syrian regime Bashar Al-Assad and Russian military commanders and other regime commander. The SOHR monitored violent clashes in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, which left causalities due to the fighting, bombings, and shelling.

In the east of the Euphrates River, the SOHR monitored violent fighting between the SDF backed by the international coalition and the Russian warplanes against ISIS, in which the “Al-Jazeera Storm” Operation Forces managed to advance and control a village on the eastern bank of the Euphrates, in conjunction with ongoing and violent clashes in the outskirts of Al-Jarzi Al-Gharbi town and in the towns of Abu Hamam and Al-Kashkia, amid an exchange of targeting between both sides. Thus the areas controlled by ISIS east of the Euphrates has declines and they only control 17 villages and towns extending along the eastern banks of the Euphrates, which are 17 villages and towns. They are Darnj, Abu Hardob, Al-Kashkia, Abu Hamam, Gharnij, Jadla, Al-Bahra, Hajin, Abu Al-Khater, Abu Al-Hassan, Al-Sha’afa, Sousa, Al-Marashda, Al-Shagla, Al-Kashkia, and Al-Baghouz. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the SDF dividing operations, which they besieged the organization in several pockets on the eastern banks of the Euphrates, in an attempt to diverse the forces of the organization and facilitate the control operation over the remaining villages after dividing them to parts, and forcing the organization to withdraw and besiege it within separate pockets on the eastern banks of the Euphrates.

ISIS continue attacking violently west of the Euphrates, targeting positions of the regime forces and their allied militiamen of Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Palestinian and Asian nationalities, in the areas located west of Al-Bokamal, and the areas linking between it and Al-Salhiya, and the organization began their attacks from the eastern banks of the Euphrates river, in which they tried to diverse and confuse the regime forces, through attacking in individual groups and striking the regime forces and their allied in their positions and sites, where the fighting caused more human losses and left people killed and injured in the ranks of both parties.

The SOHR hours ago that the SOHR documented that the number of the human losses in the ranks of the regime forces has increased to 23 casualties at least most of whom are of non-Syrian nationalities, while others were injured with varying severity, while members of ISIS attacking groups were killed and injured, and the death toll is expected to increase due to the continuation of the attacks in the area which is located in the west of the Euphrates River, and due to the presence of injured cases in serious conditions.

The SOHR published two days ago that although the presence of the “Islamic State” organization was ended in the west of the Euphrates River, on the 6th of November 2017, groups of its fighters are still continuing to confuse the regime forces and their allies, by carrying out infiltrations and surprising attack, within Deir Ezzor desert and the vicinity of Hmimeh area in the far of the north-eastern countryside of Homs, in conjunction with the attacks on areas in the eastern desert of Al-Sukhnah, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored during the past 48 hours, attacks on areas in the south-eastern desert of Deir Ezzor and areas in the eastern countryside of Homs, in attempts by the organization to cause the largest number of casualties in the ranks of the regime forces and the armed militiamen loyal to them of Syrian, Arab and Asian nationalities, and the attacks from the 6th of December to the 8th of December, resulted in the death of 13 members at least of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities were killed, while 18 members at least of the organization were killed in these clashes, some of whom detonated themselves by explosive belts, while it is noteworthy that about 3% of Syrian land area is still under the control of the “Islamic State” Organization, which is about 5600 km² of the Syrian area, where the organization is located in the southern section of the capital, Damascus, in large parts of Yarmouk camp and in parts of al-Tadamon neighborhood, and in wide areas of al-Hajar al-Aswad , also the organization is located in the eastern Desert of al-Sukhnah city in the eastern countryside of Homs, while the organization is located in the northern countryside of Hama in the villages of ( al-Wabid al-Qebli, Mweileh Abu Hadib, Mweileh Sawarnah, Abu Ajwa, Anbaz, Abu Hayyah, Rasm Al-Ahmar, Abu Hilal, Abu Hiriq, Abu Kusour, Ma’saran, Atshanah, Abyan, Jubb Zriqa, Srouj, Shiha, Alya, Abu Marrow, Abu Khandeq, Al-Wastiyah, Samiriyeh, Rasm Al-Skaf, Jannat al-Sawarnah, Tawal al-Dabbaghin, Jadidah and Talhan), and the organization is also located in Deir Ezzor Province in 18 villages and towns on the east banks of Euphrates, which are Darnaj, Swidan Jazira, al-Jerthi, Abu Hardoub, al-Kashkiyyeh, Abu Hamam, Gharanij, Jadlah, al-Bahra, Hajin, Abu al-Khatir, Abu al-Hassan, Sha’afah, Susah, Marashdah, al-Shajla, al-Keshkiyah, Al-Baghuz, also the organization exists also in the part located in the northeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor which is connected to the southern countryside of Al-Hasakah, and includes: Tal al-Mnakh, Om Haffur, al-Rimat, Fakkah al-Tarraf, Fakkah al-Shwaykh, al-Hessu, al-Bawardi, al-Dshishiyah and serval scattered villages in Tal al-Jayer area, in addition to al-Bajari Desert near al-Suwar Desert which includes the administrative borders between Deir Ezzor and Al-Hasakah.