The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Fighting in the east of the Euphrates returns to escalate after the weather became better and the sight became clear and shelling by the Coalition targets the organization’s enclave in the area

Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored ongoing violent clashes between the Syria Democratic Forces supported by the International Coalition against the members of the “Islamic State” organization, in areas in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the clashes are concentrated in the areas of Hajin and Al-Susah as well as the outskirts of Al-Baghuz and the vicinity of Al-Sha’afah, amid the organization’s ability to recover posts it lost, exploiting the deteriorating weather, while the SOHR monitored artillery shelling by the International Coalition, by several missiles which targeted the enclave controlled by the organization, amid information about the fall of more human losses caused by the shelling and clashes, while the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that it monitored a heavy sandstorm in the Syrian desert and east of Euphrates, which blocked the vision completely and led to the absence of Coalition warplanes in the skies of the area, where the atmosphere began to bet better gradually with the start of missile and artillery shelling. The intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that this storm is the heaviest and worst storm the area has witnessed since the start of the operation by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition; to control the last enclave of the Organization on the east banks of Euphrates River, on the 10th of September 2018, amid fear of new attack by the Islamic State Organization on positions of SDF, where the sandstorms and the bad weather conditions made the Syria Democratic Forces to retreat into al-Susah town and to position in point in which they can fortify themselves against the attacks of the “Islamic State” Organization, which aim the inflict the largest number of casualties in the ranks of SDF; and carry out capturing and kidnapping in an attempt to prevent and delay the advancement of the Coalition and SDF, who aim to end the presence of the Organization in the area.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored several sandstorms since the 10th of October 2018, of which ISIS exploited to carry out violent and intensive attacks, which caused significant casualties in addition to causing a major kidnapping carried out by the Organization with the help of its cells inside a camp of displaced people in al-Bahra at the vicinity of the ISIS-controlled enclave east of Euphrates, and the Syrian Observatory has documented since the first sandstorm until today the death of 209 members of ISIS and 105 members of SDF, where a situation of alert prevails the area amid attempts for strengthen places, military points, and contact lines with the Organization, to prevent it from carrying out counterattacks through its members in its last enclave east of Euphrates, or through sleeper cells operating in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, in addition to 15 people -including 10 members of SDF- were executed by the Organization during the same period, while  the Syrian Observatory monitored during the military operations that started on the 10th of October 2018, violent clashes, the most violent of which were what the area witnessed in the last two weeks, as a result of the bad weather conditions and the sandstorm which was exploited by the “Islamic State” organization, where it carried out counter and violent attacks that killed members of both parties, and after which about 300 persons of 130 families were abducted, including at least 90 women of different nationalities, the majority of whom are nationalities of the former Soviet Union whose fate is still unknown, where the organization separated the women from the rest of the abductees, amid fears for their lives of executions that may be carried out individually or collectively by ISIS, and the abduction took place from al-Bahra camp, where the Syrian Observatory previously monitored the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition moving tens of people and families to al-Bahra camp, which consists of tens of tents in the countryside of Hajin town, where it was established by SDF and the Coalition with the purpose of sheltering displaced families in addition to families of members of the “Islamic State” organization.

Also, the Syrian Observatory monitoring this morning the arrival of 7 Hummer vehicles and two military vehicles to the frontlines east of Euphrates, and the military operations caused more casualties, raising to 790, the number of people who have been killed and executed since the 10th of September 2018, they are: 243 at least, one of them was a field commander of Deir Ezzor Military Council of the Syria Democratic Forces, they were killed in clash against ISIS, and at least 476 fighters and commanders of the “Islamic State” Organization, they were killed in the clashes and the strikes of the International Coalition and SDF since the start of the military operations on the 10th of September 2018, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation, as well as 15 persons including 10 members of the SDF were executed by the organization, and 2 girls who were killed in shelling by SDF on the ISIS-enclave, and 5 citizens were killed in bombing by the International Coalition on the same enclave, in addition to 49 civilians including 10 children and 4 citizen women, were killed in airstrikes by the International Coalition on a mosque and Koranic institute in al-Susah town within ISIS-enclave at the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, the majority of whom are Iraqi nationals including families of members of the “Islamic State” organization.