The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

12 days after announcing victory over it, the surrender of the remaining ISIS leaders in caves and tunnels of Baghuz raises questions about the fate of thousands of abductees

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several reliable sources, that the presence of the remaining members of the “Islamic State” Organization has ended completely, after the surrender of who remained of them in tunnels and caves of Baghuz area on the east bank of Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, after 12 days of announcing the official victory by the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces over the Organization, on the 23rd of March 2019, and the reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that all the remaining members in tunnels and caves of Baghuz have surrendered to the Syria Democratic Forces, who continuously had been sweeping the area over the past few days and pressed the rest of them to surrender, in conjunction with raids carried out by the International Coalition warplanes targeting the same area which killed tens of members, while the questions increased about the fate of thousands of people abducted by the Organization, and whether they were executed or transferred to other areas, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of fear and resentment among families of the abductees, due to this ambiguity that surrounds the fate of their relatives, and due to not providing clear answers about the fate of their children, where the Syrian Observatory monitored that the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces continue to not to provide clear answers about the fate of the kidnapped people by members of the Organization, including the father Paolo Dall’Oglio, the Bishops Yohanna Ebrahim and Polos Yaziji, in addition to Abdullah al-Khalil, a British journalist, and other journalists, as well as hundreds of abducted people from Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), on whether members and leaders of the Organization who surrendered to the Coalition; have made clear confessions about their fate and the fate of thousands of other abductees, after recent assertions by those who have gotten out of the “Islamic State” organization’s-controlled areas 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.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published 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.