The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Attack by unknown gunmen again targets SDF members east of Euphrates causing more casualties

Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: unknown gunmen believed to of ISIS cells attacked a car belongs to the Syria Democratic Forces in al-Tayyana town in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, where a the attack was carried out by machine guns on a motorcycle, which caused casualties, where more than 3 of Syria Democratic Forces were killed in addition to a civilian, where it happened that he was in the area there, raising to 127, the number of people who were assassinated since the 22nd of August 2018, by different manners and for new goals that meet the previous goals, where the 19th of August 2018, was a turning point for the “Islamic State” organization, which is confined in an enclave stretches on a part of the east bank within the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, this turning point depended on tens of cells planted by the “Islamic State” organization within the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas east of Euphrates River, in the provinces of Dir Ezzor, al-Raqqah, and al-Hasakah which carried out their operations in various ways like kidnapping, killing, and targeting by bullets and improvised explosive devices, to detonating explosive devices in the cities, towns, and areas which are under the control of the “Islamic State” Organization, and the activities of these cells in some cases extended to Manbij area at the northeastern sector of Aleppo countryside in the west Euphrates area.

Since the announcement of the “Islamic State” Organization, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored the revenge of ISIS of the Syria Democratic Forces, in retaliation for its loss of oil and economic resources east of Euphrates, where the “Islamic State” organization announced that through leaflets distributed in secret in towns and villages controlled by Syria Democratic Forces, SOHR monitored the “Islamic State” organization starting by killing, slaughtering, kidnapping, assassinating and bombings, the aim of which was spreading chaos and security chaos within the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas, these cells also attempted to expanded the Organization’s controlled areas in its enclave east of Euphrates; by participating in disrupting the ranks of the Syria Democratic Forces through carrying out attacks in conjunction with the Organization’s attacks from its enclave east of Euphrates, where the Syrian Observatory monitored on the 22nd of August of 2018, the “Islamic State” organization carrying out the first revenge operation of the oil in Deir Ezzor Province, within the areas it lost to the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, where a member of the sleeper cells of the “Islamic State” Organization detonated himself in a booby-trapped motorcycle, targeting a car of one of the people working in the oil field and deals with the Syria Democratic Forces, which killed the suicide bomber and seriously injured the man, the detonation took place in Thiban area on the east banks of Euphrates River near the conjunction leading to al-Omar oilfield.

From this date until today, the 20th of December 2018, the Syrian Observatory documented the cells of the “Islamic State” Organization assassinating 113 fighters, civilians, oil workers, and officials in service parties, in areas within the 3 provinces of Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasakah, in addition to Manbij area in the northeast of Aleppo Province, which is controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces, where the Syrian Observatory monitored these cells assassinating 23 civilians including a woman in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, al-Hasakah countryside, al-Raqqah city and countryside, and Manbij area, in addition to the assassination of 90 fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces including local leaders in the same areas, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Human monitored the injury of tens of people due to these assassinations.

The Syrian Observatory published on the 31st of August 2018 that the information it obtained from several reliable sources, confirming that tens of volunteers east of Euphrates have left the ranks of the forces working in conscription within the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: tens of volunteers in the Self-Defense Forces which consists of forcibly recruited forces, volunteer, and administrators have voided their contracts with these forces, fearing retaliation by the ISIS-affiliated cells, which began with leaflets distributed in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, on the 19th of August 2018 in al-Zerr village east of Deir Ezzor, and the reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the people who volunteered in the self-defense duty and worked on different tasks, with a contract of 23 months and a salary of 115,000 Syrian pounds, in exchange for dismissing some of them at the same time of the self-defense duty, have voided their contracts and stayed in their homes, fearing assassination by the “Islamic State” organization, which threatened the regime and its loyal gunmen and the Syria Democratic Forces, to “take revenge” of them and all who deal with them especially in the oil business.

The Syrian Observatory also published on the 21st of August 2018, that the organization is moving through its sleeper cells in cities, towns and villages controlled by the SDF, through leaflets threatening and warning against dealing with the regime or SDF,  and the Syrian Observatory published on the 19th of August 2018 that it monitored the “Islamic State” organization distributing paper leaflets and sticking them in al-Zerr village under the control of the Syria Democratic Forces east of Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, the leaflets bear a circulation from the organization in “al-Khair State”, it says:

“” We all know that the oil wells that are under the power of the Caliphate or are in their close proximity are the property of the Islamic State and their incomes go to all Muslims, therefore, those who dare to steal or fight who are in charge of them by force shall be sorry, and they will be dealt with in a powerful and firm manner in accordance with the Sharia of the Lord of the World, and those who were seduced by the devil and become one of the slaves of the atheist Kurds guarding their wells with arms and contributing to the development of their economy; we believe that it is a form of the blasphemy-leading loyalty and we will kill whomever we can of them, so we recommend repentance and return to ALLAH, before the regret becomes useless.”, and this threat came in the wake of the retreats by the “Islamic State” organization in the eastern Euphrates, where the organization only controls an enclave stretching from Hajin to al-Baghuz on the eastern banks of Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, also the organization still remain as sleeper cells in a separate areas in the countryside Deir Ezzor and its Desert west of Euphrates, and from time to time they carry out attacks targeting oil wells, oilfields or residences that are located in the fields, which are controlled by the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces.