The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

A new attack by ISIS cells targets a location of the SDF in Shuhayl town east of Deir Ezzor

Deir Ezzor Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory monitored that unknown gunmen believed to be cells of the “Islamic State” Organization, attacked by RPG shells a position of the Syria Democratic Forces in the irrigation channel of Shuhayl town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, but no information about casualties, and this comes as a part of the continuous attacks by ISIS cells in the east Euphrates area, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published hours ago that cells of the “Islamic State” Organization continue their activities within the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas, and creating more chaos through continuous targeting and explosions carried out wherever and whenever these cells want, as the Syria Democratic Forces are unable until the moment to control security in the area, which is drowned in security chaos, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the assassination of a member of the Syria Democratic Forces, where he was shot on road of Deir Ezzor – al-Hasaka by gunmen of cells of the “Islamic State” Organization, and in the same context, gunmen from the organization’s cells attacked after midnight of yesterday a headquarters of the self-defense of the Syria Democratic Forces, in the carpet factory at al-Busayrah town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where clashes took place between both parties and the attackers fled, raising the number of people who were killed as a result of the revenge operations to 274 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 77 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 193 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.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 8th of April 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the explosion of IED yesterday evening, Sunday, in Abu al-Hasan town in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside which is controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces, where the IED targeted a car of the Syria Democratic Forces in the town killing 3 members immediately and injuring others, and this process comes as a part of the continuation of revenge by cells of the “Islamic State” Organization for their successive losses since the Syria Democratic Forces supported by forces of the International Coalition announced the battle to defeat the Organization, and in the same context, a demonstration was carried out in Shaqra village in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, which is under the control of Syria Democratic Forces, protesting the “insecurity, frequent thefts, looting, and house raids by gunmen dressed as Syria Democratic Forces”.

And 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 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.

The Syrian Observatory also 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, while 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.