The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

After less than a week, Afrin city witnesses new clashes between the Turkey-supported factions of Operation “Olive Branch”

Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Turkish-backed factions of “Olive Branch”  which control Afrin area in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo, continue to fight among themselves or even between groups of the same faction, and the Syrian Observatory monitored new clashes within al-Hamza faction, where violent clashes took place between 2 groups of the faction in the al-Mahmudiya neighbourhood at Afrin city northwest of Aleppo, accompanied by exchange of targeting by machineguns and information about casualties in the ranks of both parties, but no information about the causes of the fight until the moment. This comes in an ordinary and repeated scene in the area between “Olive Branch” factions, where the Syrian Observatory published in the 6th of November 2018 that monitored new clashes in Afrin city, which is controlled by the Turkish-backed “Olive Branch” factions, and this fight took place near Kawa al-Haddad roundabout Afrin city but its reasons were not known until the moment, and it took place between a group called Suhada’a al-Raqqah of Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah, against a group of Jaysh al-Islam faction which restricted itself recently with the help Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah, before the military police in the city intervened to stop the clashes and gunfire, while tension and alert still prevail both parties in the city, also the clashes caused casualties in the ranks of both parties, where at least one fighter of Ahrar la-Sharqiyyah was confirmed dead, and a civilian was injured by the random bullets as a result of the fighting.

And the Syrian Observatory published on the 24th of October 2018 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from reliable sources confirming to the Syrian Observatory that Jaysh al-Islam, which restructured its ranks and established military headquarters in the Syrian north, after thousands of its leaders and members got out of the Eastern Ghouta months ago in a displacement operation, which took place after an agreement between it and between the regime forces and Russians. Where it purchased new quantities of weapons and ammunition, and the sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that Jaysh al-Islam in al-Bab area in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo; bought during the last days light weapons and serval kinds of ammunition from a faction most of its fighters are from Deir Ezzor Province and operates within “Euphrates Shield” Operation Forces, where these new movements by Jaysh al-Islam comes after the developments in its status, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 9th of September 2018 that  it obtained information from a number of reliable sources, about new movements by Jaysh Al-Islam, within refreshing its presence within the Syrian territory in an organized military manner, after it had bought weapons and established headquarters in the Syrian North, following its arrival on the busses of displacement which carried thousands of members and commanders of Jaysh Al-Islam with their families as well as the citizens who were located within its previous controlled areas in the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, and the information that was received by the SOHR, reported that Jaysh Al-Islam has taken over contact points with the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them in the north-eastern countryside of Aleppo, and the number of these points exceeded 10, in the are of Tadef and its vicinity, after a meeting that took place between the leadership of Jaysh Al-Islam and the leadership of Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah, about the former’s request to take over the points of contact, then and after Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah Gathering agreed, Jaysh Al-Islam tended to fortify these points and deployed its members in them.

Also the Syrian Observatory obtained information on the 3rd of September 2018, from a number of reliable sources, which confirmed that Jaysh al-Islam (which used to operate in the Eastern Ghouta, and came out of it after an agreement between it and between the regime forces and the Russians aboard hundreds of buses carried thousands of displaced fighters, civilians, and their families to the Syrian north) opened a large headquarters in Afrin city which is under the control of the Turkey-supported “Olive Branch” Operation Forces, where the sources confirmed that Jaysh al-Islam converted the building it seized to a military headquarters and deployed fighters and guards in the vicinity of the largest building, this comes as part of reviving Jaysh al-Islam for itself after losing its full presence in the Eastern Ghouta months ago, after a military operation ended with the agreement of displacement and a “reconciliation”, the Syrian Observatory published at the beginning of August 2018 that Jaysh al-Islam is working on reviving its self, after it was displacement from the eastern Ghouta according to an agreement between its leaders and representatives of the area, and between the regime forces and the Russians, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the construction of dormitories, military headquarters and camps by Jaysh al-Islam in al-Bab area in the northern countryside of Aleppo, after renting large areas in conjunction with its purchase for quantities of light and medium weapons, as well as the purchase of heavy machine guns and tens of vehicles, within the process of its re-adjusting and equipping its forces, also reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that Jaysh al-Islam at the same time is distributing $50 to its fighters, and $150 to its wounded members, it is also sending invitations to its fighters to prepare and join military courses once the camps in al-Bab area in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo are ready, it also sent invitations to join its ranks for displaced people from the Eastern Ghouta and other areas from the capital Damascus and Rif Dimashq, the reliable sources also confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that Jaysh al-Islam  purchased the arms from the Assembly of Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah, whose fighters are mostly from Deir Ezzor province and is one of the most important military factions involved in the military operations in Syria alongside the Turkish Forces, and the Assembly of Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah handed over a hill in Raju area in the western countryside of Afrin city to Jaysh al-Islam, where the latter started equipping its camp in this area along with distributing more than 100 of the displaced people’s homes by Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah on the commanders of the second and third ranks of Jaysh al-Islam in Afrin area, within the areas that are controlled by Ahrar al-Sharqiyyah in Afrin area in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo.