Amid suspension of Russian aerial operations | Regime forces continue combing west Deir Ezzor desert for second day

SOHR sources have reported that regime forces and their proxy militias, National Defence Forces (NDF) in particular, continue their combing campaign in the Syrian desert for the second consecutive day in different areas of west Deir Ezzor desert, searching for ISIS members hiding in caves and bunkers in that region. However, there are no reports so far about clashes between the two sides. Meanwhile, Russian fighter jets have not participated in the campaign so far.

 

Yesterday, reliable sources told SOHR that regime forces, National Defence Forces (NDF) and other regime-backed militias started a combing campaign in west Deir Ezzor desert, searching for ISIS cells. This campaign came after the deadly attacks on the previous day.

 

A day earlier, SOHR sources documented the death of two NDF members in Al-Masrab desert in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor in an attack by ISIS cells on several military positions.

 

A few hours earlier, SOHR sources reported that ISIS cells unleashed a violent attack on positions of the regime-backed National Defence Forces (NDF) on the road to al-Madhoul in al-Masrab desert in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor. It is worth noting that NDF attacked positions were near the site where a bus carrying workers and employees working in al-Kharatah oil field was targeted with an IED, as the explosion left ten people dead.

 

SOHR sources had documented the death of ten workers in Al-Kharatah oil field and the injury of at least two others due to an IED explosion in their bus in the south-western countryside of Deir Ezzor where ISIS cells were prevalent.

 

It is worth noting that Al-Kharatah oil field is located in the south-western countryside of Deir Ezzor, nearly 20 kilometres away from the site where the bus was attacked, and it was captured by regime forces in September 2017 following violent battles against ISIS in that region.