Losses of the heaviest attack in Manbij after the official announcement of victory over ISIS rises to 8 Arab and Kurd fighters of the self-defense

Aleppo Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the number of casualties continues to rise in Manbij area in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, which is controlled by Manbij Military Council, as a result of the heaviest attack after the Syria Democratic was able to end the Organization’s presence in their controlled areas with the support of the International Coalition, where it rose to 8, the number of fighters of the self-defense members of the Arab and Kurdish members, who were killed when unknown gunmen believed to be ISIS cells carried out an attack within hours of yesterday night, which targeted a checkpoint of the self-defense forces on Manbij – Aleppo road, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation, while the area witnessed an alert in search of the executors, days after a security operation in which more than 100 people were arrested of who were accused of belonging to the Turkish and other cells of the “Islamic State” Organization in Manbij, and the Syrian Observatory published recently that although the “Islamic State” Organization was fully ended as a dominant military force in the east Euphrates area, especially within the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas which extend from Manbij to the Syrian-Iraqi border, the Organization’s activity continues in the form of cells operating within the aforementioned areas, through carrying out bombings, attacks, assassinations, and murders, against civilians, fighters, and members of the Syria Democratic Forces and the internal security forces “Asayish”, by cells which the sources of the Syrian Observatory suggested that there are between 4000 to 5000 members in villages, towns, and cities controlled by Syria Democratic Forces, who have infiltrated earlier to these areas and formed sleeper cells, some of which follow the “Islamic State” Organization while others follow or pushed by regional parties, to spread chaos in the area and target the Syria Democratic Forces and their controlled areas.

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, Aleppo province, and Al-Hasakah province by these cells, where since the 19th of August 2018 until the 24th of February 2019; these reprisals have claimed the lives of 75 civilian citizens including 2 children and 2 women in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasakah countryside, Al-Raqqah city and countryside and Manbij city, in addition to the assassination of 183 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.

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.

While 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.