The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

As the sweeping operations in Baguz tunnels and trenches continue, Coalition arrests first-tier leader of ISIS by an airdrop operation

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several reliable sources, confirming that the International Coalition forces were able to arrest a leader of Iraqi nationality, who is a first-tier leader of the “Islamic State” organization, where they carryed out an airdrop operation in the vicinity of al-Baguz area in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where the leader was hiding along with other members at a house in the vicinity of al-Baghuz area, and this arrest of the leader after midnight of yesterday -who is a military leader and senior military official- ; comes in conjunction with the continuation of sweeping operations by the special forces of the Coalition and other forces, especially of the Syria Democratic Forces in al-Baaguz area at the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor in its caves and tunnels, in which members and leaders of the “Islamic State” Organization are hiding, in an attempt by these forces to pressure the rest of them and force them to surrender, after warplanes of the International Coalition carried out strikes about 4 days ago, targeting Baghuz area in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor at the east bank of Euphrates River, and in the details monitored by the Syrian Observatory: the International Coalition warplanes launched several missiles and dropped several bombs targeting caves and tunnels of Baghuz area, which caused a large number of casualties, where the Syrian Observatory documented the killing of at least 50 ISIS members of who were hidden in the area, after completely ending the Organization east of Euphrates as a dominant force, and these aerial bombardments come in conjunction with the continuation of sweeping operations by the Coalition Special Forces and the Special Forces of the Syria Democratic Forces, at the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, and reliable sources confirmed that the sweeping operations include tunnels and caves where members of the “Islamic State” Organization and leaders of the first-tier in the Organization’s ranks, in an attempt to pressure the remaining members to surrender themselves and get out of the area, and the Syrian Observatory published this morning that with the continued presence of hiding member of the “Islamic State” Organization in caves and tunnels within al-Baghuz area in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside near the east bank of Euphrates River, where fears continue for the fate of thousands of people abducted by the Organization of the Syrian citizens, who have been transferred from several prisons in the “Islamic State” organization’s-controlled areas, where their fate is still unknown, whether they were killed by the Organization and executed or not, after the recent assurances by those of the Organization who got out that hundreds of abductees were executed, and as their fate continue to be absent; fears increase among families of the abducted people all over the Syrian territory, of who were arrested by ISIS on various charges or abducted and captured during attacks on various areas of Syria; within areas of control of the Syria Democratic Forces and areas of control of the rebel and Islamic factions, as well as regime forces’-controlled areas, back when the Organization took control of large areas that reached more than half of the Syrian territory at its peak, and among the kidnapped people there are the bishops John Ibrahim and Paul Yaziji, the father Paolo Dall’Oglio, Abdullah al-Khalil, a British journalist and other journalists, as well as hundreds of abducted people from Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) area.

 

And despite the sweep operations in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor by forces of the American commandos and the Special Forces of the International Coalition in the tunnels and caves of al-Baghuz, in search of abductees and in hiding people including leaders from the first-tier of the “Islamic State” Organization, in addition to looking for the riches of the “Islamic State” Organization of funds, gold, and others, these sweep operations have not come with any results so far, where reliable sources informed the Syrian Observatory that tens of members and leaders of the “Islamic State” Organization have confirmed that they carried out individual and mass executions against hundreds of prisoners, abductees, and detainees who were taken from the battlefronts or from the areas which were attacked by the Organization, including Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) and other areas, where this confirmation ignites discontent among the families and their fears about the fate of their relatives abducted by the Organization, and the Syrian Observatory published yesterday that the fear and resentment increase among families of hundreds of people abducted by the “Islamic State” Organization; with the final announcement of the elimination of the “Islamic State” Organization completely, and fully controlling its areas which were under its control east of Euphrates by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, after 195 days of military operations that began on the 10th of September 2018, until the date of announcing the victory on the “Islamic State” Organization on the 23rd of March 2019, where tens of families of abducted people from areas continue to contact the Syrian Observatory, and through the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights they demand that the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces reveal the fate of their children and relatives who the Organization had, as to whether they were killed or transferred to unknown areas by the Organization which is still exists on Syrian territory in west of Euphrates area within the Syrian Desert area, in the enclave of Abu Rjameen area, which extends to the inside of the administrative borders of Deir Ezzor province which is an area of about 4000 km², In addition to its activities in the Syrian Desert in al-Sokhna Desert and north of al-Suwaidaa province, and these fears and demands for investigation come to uncover the crimes of the Organization against their relatives, as the Syrian Observatory is documenting large casualties due to explosion of mines, detonating IEDs, bombardment by the International Coalition, the ground shelling , in addition to clashes as well as tens of people who died as a result of their poor health.

Where the Syrian  Observatory  documented the death of 634 civilian people including 209 children and 157 citizen women, they were killed since the 10th of December 2018, also it rose to 753, the number of fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces who have been killed since the 10th of November 2018, also it rose to about 1600, the number of fighters and leaders of the “Islamic State” Organization who were killed in the shelling, clashes, bombings, and raids, also the “Islamic State” Organization had executed more than 720 detainees, of who it arrested on various charges including security members and members of the Organization who tried to break away of it and escape its controlled areas, and the executions were carried out inside headquarters and detention centers of the Organization, and within its controlled areas, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of at least 159 children since the beginning of December 2018 until today the 23rd of March 2019.

Also, since the beginning of December 2018 until today: 63250 people including more than 8550 ISIS members mostly Iraqis, have gotten out of Baghuz farms and ISIS enclave before being besieged within this area, including more than 61250 people have gotten out the Organization’s enclave towards the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas, and since the 19th of December 2018, the date of decision to withdraw the US Forces from Syria and east of Euphrates; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the exit of more than 62100 people towards the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published this morning that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that, since the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces have imposed their control over the entire Baghuz farms in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside in the past few days, and being able to reach the east bank of Euphrates River, hundreds of corpses of members of the “Islamic State” Organization’s women and children are still in Baghuz farms, in addition to bodies of ISIS members, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims to reveal about 230 bodies of the Organization’s families of children and women in addition to the tens of corpses of ISIS members, who were killed by the International Coalition in a massacre in Baghuz farms, in one of the biggest massacres carried out by the Coalition since its participation in the military operations on the Syrian territory, also the Syrian Observatory calls for getting them out if they have not been gotten out earlier under the cover of darkness, also it is still unknown; the fate of the first-tier leaders of the “Islamic State” Organization, who were holed up in a cave in Baghuz farms during the hours of the last night.