66 months of Russian intervention in Syria | Routine joint patrols with Turks…hundreds of airstrikes on the desert and “de-escalation zone”…and ongoing search for the remains of Israelis south of the capital
The Russian forces completed their 66th month of military operations in Syria. In the sixth month of the 6th year of Russia’s intervention in Syria, SOHR monitored several events.
In the north-east of the country, on March 22, the regime’s security services closed permanently the Al-Tabqa crossing linking between regime-held areas and SDF-held areas to commercial and civilian movements, in light of Russian-Iranian differences as the Russians seek to supervise oil shipments coming from the SDF-held areas, which met with rejection by the pro-Iranian “4th Division”.
In March, Russian forces and their Turkish counterparts conducted five joint patrols, three of which took place on March 1, 8 and 15 in Aleppo province and specifically in Ain al-Arab countryside (Kobani). The patrols set off from Ashma village, west of Ain al-Arab, passing through the villages and towns of Jareqli Fuqani, Jabna, Bayadiya to the village of Zor Maghar, located opposite the town of Jarabulus, which is controlled by Turkish forces and their proxy factions on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, and is the last village in the countryside of Ain al-Arab (Kobani.)
The other two patrols took place on March 11 and 25 in Al-Hasakah countryside, where Turkish and Russian armoured vehicles set off from the village of Sherik, west of Derbasiya, and roamed villages and towns of Dalil, Quneitra, Karmania, Tal Kedish, Ghanamiya, Kanya, Karbouti, Tal Tairi, Jadida, Tal Karma, Abu Jrady, Khaski, Medura, Khanki, Kharazeh, Bahira and Jowhariyeh, are all located in rural al-Derbasiya and Amuda.
On March 9, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored by video the meeting between Russian and Turkish officers at Sherik crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border in al-Hasakeh countryside, after Turkish forces entered the Syrian interior in order to hold a meeting between the two sides.
During the documentation, Russian officer and soldiers demanded SOHR correspondent stop filming because it is forbidden as the area is a “military zone”, according to the Russian officer. The response is that this is our land and here is Syrian territory we have the right to do what we want. However, the Russians insisted on not filming.
In this context, SOHR sources said that a Russian armoured vehicle hit a civilian car in Al-Derbasiya countryside, while conducting a Russian patrol in the area. The armoured vehicle did not stop after the incident but continued on its way. And then SDF patrol arrived and transported the civilian car from the area.
In north-western Syria, Russian jets targeted the “de-escalation zone” five times in March.
On March 5, Russian fighter jets executed airstrikes on the outskirts of Ma’rat Misrin town in north-west Idlib countryside.
On March 13, Russian jets executed five airstrikes on the outskirts of Rahab town in western Aleppo countryside, during which they targeted military headquarters and ammunition depots of the HTS.
On March 20, Russian jets targeted Harsh Binin in Jabal al-Zawiya and the village of Bakafla in northern countryside of Jisr al-Shughour.
On March 21, Russian jets targeted the village of Kfar Shalaya near Ariha, and facilities belonging to the petroleum import company “Watad” around Sarmada, north of Idlib, killing one person and injuring others and causing significant material damage to buildings, installations and fuel tankers.
Meanwhile, the Russians have intensified their military operations in the Syrian desert in the last month, executing daily airstrikes on ISIS positions.
In the last month, the Syrian Observatory has monitored more than 1,380 Russian airstrikes on the Syrian desert in rural Homs, Deir ez-Zor and the Aleppo-Hama-Raqqah triangle.
In the 66th of Russia’s intervention in Syria, SOHR activists documented the death of 57 ISIS members in Russian airstrikes on their positions in the Syrian desert, mostly were killed in Aleppo-Hama-Al-Raqqah triangle.
Furthermore, Russians continue excavating graves and exhuming bodies in al-Yarmouk camp in search of the remains of two Israeli soldiers and prominent Israeli spy, Elie Cohen, who were killed decades ago and buried in the area. Where the Russians are still imposing a security cordon on the area and preventing people from approaching.
And the assumption was that the Russian side would reach results and conclude the mission after two month of excavations and conducting DNA analyses of the remains exhumed from these graves, which sparked public anger in the region, as the Russians desecrated the dead with such operations. The Syrian regime and authorities remained silent on the issue throughout, and sought to exploit the issue of Cohen’s remains, by demanding the release of the Syrian prisoners in Israel prisons to present itself on media as a defender of human rights, and to ease U.S. sanctions imposed on the regime.
As months pass, the Syrians suffer the scourge of the Russian intervention, which seems to resemble a kind of revenge and retaliation against Syrians for protesting against the regime that committed the worst violations against its own people. At a time when the map of alliances and power balances is changing, Russia has become the ultimate winner, succeeding in helping the Syrian regime regaining control over about two-thirds of the country after losing control of most of its territory. Moscow used the pretext of “the war on terror” to commit massacres against civilians, and sponsored and struck agreements which soon after abandoned. Moscow and its war machine spilt in the blood of Syrians despite claiming to be “political mediator” or “broker” that can deal with all parties to the conflict.
With all recent changes in the balance of powers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renews its appeals to the international community to put pressure on Russia to stop its aggression against the Syrians, and to find a political solution to end the Syrian crisis that is nearing its tenth year.