A month after it was expelled from Idlib province…ISIS advances and takes the control of 11 villages inside the administrative border of Idlib and in Hama countryside
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the “Islamic State” organization managed to expand its scope of control in side the north-eastern countryside of Hama and the outskirts of the administrative border of Idlib province, and in the details obtained and documented by the SOHR; the organization advanced after Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham had withdrawn from the villages where it was besieged, in the outskirts of the north-eastern countryside of Hama and the outskirts of the southern countryside of Idlib, after the ongoing and wide advancement since the 25th of December 2017, which enabled the regime forces to expand greatly in the south-eastern countryside of Idlib adjacent the north-eastern countryside of Hama until they reached at a distance of about 11 km from Abu Al-Duhur Military Airbase.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored today that Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham withdrew from the villages of ((Kayriyyah, Dalalah, Ablah, Eib Al-Qanah, Tell Halawa, Jib al-Safa, Qasr Ibn Wardan, Rasm Al-Tina, Tulul al-Humur, Rasm Anz and Madahi)), thus, the number of the villages controlled by the organization in the north-eastern countryside of Hama and the outskirts of Idlib province, has increased to 43 villages since its attack started on the 9th of October 2017, which are: ((Kayriyyah, Dalalah, Ablah, Eib Al-Qanah, Tell Halawa, Jib al-Safa, Qasr Ibn Wardan, Rasm Al-Tina, Tulul al-Humur, Rasm Anz, Madahi, Jib Al-Uthman, Jib Al-Ruman, Masada, Al-Tarfawi, Huways Abu Hadib, Rasm Al-Hamam, 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)).
This advancement into the administrative border of Idlib province, is the second entry for the organization since it was expelled from the province about 4 years ago, in which the organization was operating named as “the Islamic state organization in Iraq and the Levant” before its declaration as the “Caliphate State” in late June 2014, while the first entry was a month ago during violent attack enabled the organization to enter Idlib province and take the control of one village at least in it.
Also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 297 members at least of the organization who were killed in the ongoing clashes in the north-eastern countryside of Hama, while 172 fighters at least of Tahrir Al-Sham where killed in this violent fighting, and tens of other fighters of the later were injured and captured, as well as the injury of tens of the organization’s members, while the number of the human losses may increase because of the presence of serious injuries, and the fate of the captives is not known yet, amid fears of being executed by the organization which tries to raise the spirits of its supporters, by emphasizing its strength through carrying out sudden attacks, while the SOHR documented on the last third of November 2017, the arrival of military reinforcements to the organization of hundreds of fighters heavily armed with equipment and supplies of heavy vehicles and heavy and light weapons in the north-eastern countryside of Hama, coming from the Syrian Desert that is controlled by the regime forces, in which these members carried out wide attack on the positions of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham in the area immediately after their arrival, while 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.