The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Security campaigns and airdrop by the International Coalition and the SDF near Al-Busayrah city claim the lives of 5 Iraqi persons including a prominent security official in the organization

Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored clashes today evening, Tuesday, near Koniko gas field and the wells of Khesham Desert in the countryside of Deir Ezzor province, between the Syria Democratic Forces against gunmen believed to be cells of the “Islamic State” organization, amid information about human losses, while the Syrian Observatory learned that a force of the SDF raided yesterday evening, Monday the 18th of February 2019, and under a cover of helicopters of the International Coalition, the villages of Daman and Al-Hajanah near Al-Busayrah city in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and this security campaign resulted in the fall of human losses, where 2 Iraqi persons were killed in Daman village, and a man and his wife also of Iraqi nationalities were killed in Al-Hajanah village, in the same context, the SOHR learned that the International Coalition has carried out an airdrop in Al-Hilwah village near Al-Busayrah in the east of Deir Ezzor, where a prominent Iraqi security official in the “Islamic State” organization was killed, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that a member of the “Islamic State” had detonated himself using an explosive belt yesterday night, at one of the offices of the Syria Democratic Forces in al-Kasra town in the countryside of Deir Ezzor, which caused injuries in the ranks of SDF members, and this comers within the context of the continuous targeting and operations of the Organization, through its cells to carried it out within SDF areas in Deir Ezzor, al-Raqqah, or Aleppo countryside, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 18th of February 2018 that between the end of the “Islamic State” Organization and the start of its initial loss, 6 months since the Organization’s announcement for the start of these operations, which came in response to controlling large areas of the east of Euphrates by the Syria Democratic Forces supported by the International Coalition, and besieging the “Islamic State” Organization in an enclave extended from Hajin to the Syrian – Iraqi border, where the Organization started its revenge through its active cells in the whole areas east of Euphrates with Manbij, in conjunction with activity of other cells linked to regional bodies and Turkish intelligence services, each time claiming lives or injuring members of the Internal Security Forces “Asayish,” the Syria Democratic Forces, or from the civilians who work in the oil of the economic fields, and with the end of the “Islamic State” Organization as a dominant force east of Euphrates; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the escalation of targeting east of Euphrates area, especially in al-Raqqah and in the countryside of Deir Ezzor province by these cells, where since the 19th of August 2018 until the 18th of February 2019; these reprisals have claimed the lives of 193 fighters, civilians, oil workers, and officials in service parties, in areas within the 4 provinces of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Al-Raqqah and 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 50 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 139 fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces including local leaders in the same areas, and 4 members of International Coalition were killed, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Human monitored the injury of tens of people due to these assassinations.

Where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored on Sunday, the 17th of February 2019, that unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a vehicle of the Syria Democratic Forces, which injured 3 members seriously, amid information about their death, as a part of the series of assassinations and killing attempts which target the SDF, citizens and people who were threatened by the Organization in the declaration of its revenge back in late August 2018, where these reprisals claimed the lives of 193 fighters, civilians, oil workers, and officials in service parties, in areas within the 4 provinces of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Al-Raqqah and 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 50 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 139 fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces including local leaders in the same areas, and 4 members of International Coalition were killed, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Human monitored the injury of tens of people due to these assassinations, and the Syrian Observatory published yesterday, the 16th of February 2019, that the members of the “Islamic State” organization carried out attacks on Theban town which is under the control of the Syria Democratic Forces in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; members of the organization attacked today morning, Saturday, one of the SDF’s checkpoints in the area, which left human losses where 2 members of the SDF were killed and another one was injured, while one of the attackers of ISIS members was also killed, then the members of the organization returned and carried out another attack on Theban today evening, Saturday, which resulted in the eruption of violent clashes against the SDF amid bombardment by the International Coalition warplanes and helicopters on positions of the organization as a part of repelling this vast attack, which comes after the presence of the organization as a controlling power over a geographical area east of the Euphrates, has been completely finished, while the organization also attacked a position of the SDF in the outskirts of Hawayij at the eastern banks of the Euphrates, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that it obtained information from several reliable sources that, the Syria Democratic Forces through a large military force raided a house in al-Hawayej village in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor and controlled by SDF, and the reliable sources confirmed that the raid that took place in the past 24 hours targeted a house inhabited by displaced people from Hajin town on the east bank of Euphrates River, where the SDF patrol was escorted by warplanes of the International Coalition which were flying over the area, and the operation caused the killing of one person, injured another, and others were arresting, also the sources confirmed that there was an exchange of gunfire between those who were in the house who are accused of belonging to cells belonging to bodies responsible for spreading chaos and insecurity in Deir Ezzor countryside, and the Syrian Observatory also published on the 16th of February 2019, that one of the members of the “Islamic State” organization was killed after being shot by the Syria Democratic Forces in the east of the Euphrates, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; members of the SDF shot one of ISIS members while passing through a checkpoint of the SDF on his motorcycle in Al-Tayyanah town, after he crossed the checkpoint without stopping at it, then, a patrol of the SDF chased him and shot him dead.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 3rd of February 2019 that the Syria Democratic Forces and the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish), are continuing their operations in search for the active and sleeper cells of the “Islamic State” organization, which have carried out since late August 2018, tens of assassinations that claimed the lives of tens of citizens and fighters and commanders of the SDF and the factions operating under their banner, in the countryside of Deir Ezzor province, and the rest of the areas under their control in the east of the Euphrates and in parts of its west, where reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, that a large force of the SDF and their intelligence raided today dawn, Sunday the 3rd of February 2019, and with support by the International Coalition warplanes, a house in Swidan Jazira village in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where they managed to arrest a cell of the “Islamic State” organization including Moroccan members in addition to the presence of women in the house, also weapons and IEDs that are ready to be detonated, were found in the cell’s possession, while local sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the International Coalition warplanes targeted the house after the cell had been arrested and the raiding forces had withdrawn from the area.

While 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, while the last of their operations during the last 24 hours witnessed 2 bombings in the cities of al-Raqqah and Manbij, which caused material damage and wounded several people, in addition to the assassination of a member of the Syria Democratic Forces, where he was shot by a silencer weapon in al-Raqqah city.

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, 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.

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.

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.