Fighting continues west of the Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor Desert as a result of renewed attacks by the organization against the regime and its allies
Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the organization is still continuing its counter attacks in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, and in conjunction with its attack on Al-Boleel Desert controlled by the regime forces, the organization carried out an attack targeting Al-Mayadin Desert, in the west of the Euphrates River, where violent clashes took places during the past 24 hours, between the members of the “Islamic State” organization against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, which resulted in the fall of human losses in the ranks of the both parties, as a result of the clashes and exchange of targeting in the clash areas.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published in the 7th of May 2018, about renewed escalation of number of casualties among the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them and members of the Organization, in the attacks that took place near the western banks of Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, southern desert of Bokamal, the administrative border between Deir Ezzor and east of Homs, the eastern desert of Homs province, and, the southern section of the capital, Damascus, where it rose to 686, the number of deaths of both parties, where it rose to 446, the number of members of the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them who were killed in three provinces during 55 days of clashes in al-Bokamal, the countryside of Deir Ezzor and south of the capital Damascus, also it rose to 240 at least, the number of members of the “Islamic State” organization who were killed in the same battles, since the recovery of the Organization in the 13th of March 2018, also tens of others of both parties were killed and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation, in addition to the presence of missing members and captives in the ranks of the both parties, while it is noteworthy that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has been monitoring since the 13th of March 2018, the start of attacks by the “Islamic State” Organization, which were started by an attack in the capital Damascus, and enabled it to expand in al-Kadam neighbourhood in the southern part of the capital, followed by attacks targeted the 2nd Station, which was also controlled by the Organization south of al-Bokamal, and other attacks in Hmimeh area and al-Mayadin Desert, amid targeting sites of the regime forces and their allies west of Euphrates river in the eastern and southeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, also these successive attacks have caused significant casualties in the ranks of members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, and as well as the ranks of members of the “Islamic State” Organization, also this violent attack of ISIS comes weeks after the control of the organization declined in the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, within the towns of Abu Al-Hassan, al-Sha’afa, Al-Baghouz, Al-Bobdara, and its districts, following the entire end of its presence in the western banks of the Euphrates River, where the SDF managed to control most of the east of the Euphrates except for the aforementioned enclave, where reliable sources confirmed to the SOHR that the organization organized its ranks in the recent stage in order to attempt to expand the organization’s controlled areas at the expense of its rivals in its areas of presence, and the SOHR published few months ago, that although the presence of the organization in the west of the Euphrates River ended on the 6th of December 2017, groups of its fighters meant to confuse the regime and its allies, by carrying out infiltrations and surprising attacks, 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 and attacks in other areas near the presence of the members of the organization who carry out these attacks in order to emphasize the strength of the organization and express its ability to carry out attacks and initiate them, and to result in the fall of the largest possible number of human losses in the ranks of the regime forces and their allies of non-Syrian nationalities.