At least 17 ISIS members killed on the first day of its last enclave’s battle east of Euphrates River
Deir Ezzor Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces today, Monday, the 10th of September 2018, launching their last operation against the “Islamic State” Organization east of Euphrates, to terminate its presence in the area as a dominant Organization, and to control the entire area east of Euphrates by International Coalition-supported Syria Democratic Forces, except for several villages on the eastern banks of the river opposite to Deir Ezzor city, and the Syrian Observatory learned that the military operation started after the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces completed their military preparations of equipment, military forces mobilization, position fortifications, building dirt barricades, bringing tens of vehicles, machinery, armored vehicles, bulldozers, and thousands of members, and the Syrian Observatory monitored violent clashes since this morning between the Syria Democratic Forces supported by the International Coalition against members of the “Islamic State” Organization of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, on the contact lines in the al-Baghuz and Hajin areas.
These violent clashes between both parties are accompanied by intense artillery and missile shelling by the International Coalition and SDF, targeting areas in the last enclave under the control of the “Islamic State” Organization east of Euphrates, amid an intense flight of warplanes of the International Coalition and carrying out air strikes every now and then, where the airstrikes, ground shelling, and clashes have killed at least 17 members of the “Islamic State” Organization and injured others of varying severity, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some of the wounded are in critical situation, and because of the constant and violent shelling on the area.
After this last military operation against ISIS in its last enclave east of Euphrates, -which, if completed, and the International Coalition and SDF took control of this enclave- the “Islamic State” organization will only have direct fronts with the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them west of Euphrates and in the Syrian Desert, in the same context the prisons of the organization in its last enclave at the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, still contain hundreds of prisoners distributed in Hajin and Al-Shaafa, where there are 2 prisons in Al-Shaafa containing more than 1350 prisoners including members of the organization mostly of foreign nationalities with various charges such as security charges, and in Hajin town, there are about 800 prisoners accused of various charges, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the preparations by the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces escalated in the recent hours, amid anticipation prevailing the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, for launching the last operation of the International Coalition and SDF in the east of the Euphrates, in order to end the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in the enclave that is under its control at the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, where the organization will lose its presence as a dominant force in the case that the Coalition and SDF impose their control over this enclave, and then the organization will turn into cells of it that carry quick operations aiming to inflect the largest possible number of casualties in the ranks of the members of the International Coalition and SDF, and the Syrian Observatory has monitored since this morning, Sunday the 90th of September 2018 and until now, that more than 180 vehicles carrying hundreds of soldiers averaging of 30 fighters on each vehicle, headed towards the vicinity of the enclave which is controlled by the organization in the east of the Euphrates, and the Syrian Observatory monitored 3 columns of the International Coalition which include vehicles carrying armored vehicles, bulldozers and missiles, heading towards Al-Bahra Base, while vehicles have been withdrawn from Al-Omar Oilfield and taken to the vicinity of the enclave, in preparing for starting the military operation.
The Syrian Observatory monitored the International Coalition bringing more logistic and military reinforcements, of barbed wire and prefabricated rooms in order to fortify the base which it established at a distance of about 3 km from Al-Susah area, in addition to bringing more military reinforcements, where the accelerated military movements and escalating the preparations today, come after the movements which have been monitored by the SOHR in the recent days, by the International Coalition in the vicinity of ISIS last enclave in the east of the Euphrates River, where the sources confirmed to the SOHR that Forces of the Coalition had moved one of their mobile bases to a place near Hajin area within this ISIS enclave, in preparation for the start of the military operation of the International Coalition Forces and the Syria Democratic Forces against ISIS, to end its presence in the entire east of Euphrates River, where the organization is no longer a dominant force except in the enclave located on the east bank of the river, which includes 4 towns: Hajin, al-Susah, al-Shafa, and al-Baghuz, where these preparations come after the Syria Democratic Forces and the Forces of the International Coalition increased their points of presence in the vicinity of this enclave, and this new move comes in the wake of massive military mobilization, and bringing military reinforcements of hundreds of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles, armored vehicles, machines, and ammunitions, to completely end the presence of the Organization, following repeated failures in breaking in the enclave, as a result of the violent repelling of the attack by the Organization which is in control of this enclave, while the International Coalition had frequently dropped leaflets on areas controlled by the organization, calling civilians to displace and ISIS members to surrender, and after al-Sha’fa crossing was opened and the entry of aid and foodstuffs into ISIS enclave, and the displacement of tens of families of ISIS members, where the non-Syrians were relocated to camps under the control of the Syria Democratic Forces, while the Syrian families were allowed to go out towards other areas of Deir Ezzor Province.