The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Raqqa | Russian troops threaten regime forces in rural Ain Issa town, and Turkish forces renew ground shelling on town frontlines

Reliable sources have informed the Syrian Observatory that members of the Russian forces threatened to arrest any regime soldier if they report Turkish shelling on their positions in the area of Ain Issa, north of Raqqa, and to hand them over to the regime’s Military Intelligence branch.

This comes as the Russian-Turkish negotiations on Ain Issa and the Aleppo-Hasakeh road M4 remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Turkish forces and proxy factions shelled the villages of Al-Musherfeh, Istirahat Saqr and the perimetre of Ain Issa camp, north of Raqqa, where the shelling lasted for about an hour. No casualties have been reported so far.

Yesterday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored tense calm on north-eastern frontlines of Ain Issa, interspersed with several missiles and exchange of fire between the SDF and Turkish-backed factions.

As tense calm continues in Ain Issa, Turkish forces and proxy factions shelled the village of Kor Hassan in western countryside of Tel Abyad, north of Raqqa, but no casualties have been reported so far.

SOHR sources have documented earlier the killing of ten fighters and the capture of seven others of Turkish-backed factions on frontline of the village of Ma’alaq in Ain Issa countryside, north of Raqqa, as they tried to infiltrate into SDF positions on Monday, December 28.

On December 27, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored a new attack by Ankara-backed factions on frontlines of Ain Issa countryside, north of Raqqa. Fierce clashes took place between Ankara-backed factions and the SDF on frontlines of Sayda and Ma’alaq, in an attempt by the factions, backed by Turkish rocket fire, to reach the road of al-Hasaka – Aleppo international and cut it off.