The negotiations’ file witnesses progress in terms of the release of Al-Suwaidaa abductees and the Russian mediation between the organization and the regime imposes calm over the battle field in the Desert
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from a number of reliable sources, reporting that the negotiations are underway between the committee that is entrusted to resolve the issue of the abductees, and between the “Islamic State” organization, in conjunction with the decreased pace of clashes amid relative calm prevailing Tlul Al-Safa area since the afternoon of today, Tuesday the 16th of October 2018, after Russia intermediated between the both conflicting parties in the area, in order to cease fire, where the area witnessed cautious calm, with the exception of sporadic exchange of targeting between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against the members of the “Islamic State” organization, in places in Tlul Al-Safa area, also, reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the file of negotiations witnessed obvious progress where it is expected that the conclusive results will be reached soon, in order to release the 27 kidnapped people, after a woman died in unknown circumstances while a boy and a citizen woman were executed by the organization.
The Syrian Observatory monitored that the negotiations were halted last time when the organization switched the names of the detainees from the records provided by regime’s authorities through the communication channels and the committees between them, and the Syrian Observatory also published on the 11th of October 2018 that cautious anticipation for the developments of the situation in the province, and in the details monitored by the Syrian Observatory: cautious anticipation prevails al-Suwaidaa as a result of the end the deadline requested by the Sheikh Abdul Wahab Abu Fakhr, the representative of the Sheikh of the Unitarian Druze Aql, to release the 18 abducted children and 9 citizen women who are detained by the “Islamic State” Organization, which ended without any developments in the file of abductees, where Abu Fakhr’s requested 48-hours limit 2 days ago to resolve the issue of abductees, but the deadline expired on Thursday, the 11th of October 2018, and the Syrian Observatory monitored tension in the area as a result of fears among the people of the developments of the situation, after al-Karama sheikhs who are working under the command of the children of the Sheikh Wahid al-Bal’ous; addressed the protesters by saying that “there is no dignity in the sit-in and if you want your kidnapped people then carry the weapon and liberate them yourselves,” also al-Karama sheikhs threatened al-Suwaidaa province and the representative of al-Aql Sheikh, after the latter demanded the protesters to break the sit-in for 48 hours to solve the kidnapped people’s issue; and if they are not released then they have the right to re-establish their sit-in at the place they want.
The Syrian Observatory documented hours ago, that these battles in 12 consecutive weeks have drained the regime forces and their allies, especially when the battles were confined in Tlul al-Safa area of the rugged and complex geography of hills, valleys, and caves, which allows both parties to move more easily, and despite weeks of operations which are concentrated in Tlul al-Safa area; and the regime forces were able to advance in the area and control hills and sites in Tlul al-Safa; the human losses were greater than the progress achieved by the regime forces, and the regime forces were drained within Rif Dimashq desert adjacent to al-Suwaidaa, where it rose to at least 201, the number of members of the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them who were killed in the bombings, shelling and clashes since the 25th of July 2018, including members of the Lebanese Hezbollah among them a Lebanese commander as well as officers of the regime forces with varying ranks the highest of which are Major Generals, and the clashes also resulted in the injury of hundreds others with varying severity, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of about 142 citizens including 38 women and children, who were executed or shot by the “Islamic State” organization, in addition to the killing of 116 people, the majority of whom were of the gunmen villagers who carried the gun to repel the organization’s attack, and a 19-year-old boy and a citizen woman were executed by ISIS after being kidnapped along with 28 others, and a woman died when she was held by ISIS in conditions that still vague so far.