New airstrikes | Russian jets target ISIS cells’ positions in al-Sukhna desert, east of Homs
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored Russian fighter jets executing about 12 airstrikes, targeting positions of the Islamic State cells in the Sukhna desert, east of Homs, amid successive takeoffs of Russian jets from the Hmeimim airport towards the Syrian desert.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has just documented the killing of seven pro-regime militiamen and the wounding of three others in an ISIS attack targeting militias’ positions, onWednesday evening, in the desert of Aqibat in eastern countryside of Hama. This comes in light of the ongoing and increasing activities of the Islamic State in the Syrian desert at the triangle of Hama – Aleppo – Raqqa.
On March 24, SOHR sources said that ISIS continued its operations against regime forces and loyal militias through frequent attacks in small groups, fearing airstrikes and ambushes. The new strategy, which ISIS has adopted recently, is based on sporadic attacks by a small group of two or three members, while some of the attacks are carried out by a single ISIS fighter.
In this context, SOHR sources have reported an attack by ISIS members on positions of regime forces and their proxy factions near Al-Shawla area in the south of Deir Ezzor city in the Syrian desert, near Deir Ezzor-Damascus highway. ISIS members managed to kill four regime-backed militiamen and injure others, before fighter jets interfered and struck the area, forcing ISIS members to withdraw to the desert.
On Sunday, SOHR sources reported that ISIS cells unleashed an attack in the morning on positions of Iranian-backed militias in “Akhdar Mayy” area in east Al-Mayadeen desert, on the western bank of the Euphrates river in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. According to SOHR sources, the attack resulted in the death of two militiamen and injury of seven others.
Since 24th of March 2019, SOHR has documented the killing of at least 1,369 regime soldiers and loyalists of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, including at least two Russians, and 149 Iranian-backed militiamen of non-Syrian nationalities. All were killed in attacks, bombings and ambushes by the “Islamic State”, west of Euphrates in the deserts of Deir Ezzor, Homs, and Al-Suwaidaa.
Also, four civilians working in gas fields, 11 shepherds and four other people were killed and documented by SOHR in the same period, from late March 2019 until today. They were killed in attacks by ISIS cells. While 861 ISIS members were also killed in attacks and bombardment in the same period.