Capital of ISIS in Syria witnesses decline of battles due to massive fortification and Russian refusal for the withdraw of ISIS members towards Deir Ezzor

Al-Raqqah city is witnessing a decline in the fighting operations and the clashes in the eastern and western areas of the city, between the Syria Democratic Forces and Syrian Elite Forces supported by the US Special forces against members of the “Islamic State” organization, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the confrontations were limited to sporadic firing between both parties, while on some fronts they were relatively quiet, this calm and decline of clashes came after the violent clashes in the city in the last 24 hours, also the southern banks of the Euphrates River saw an important advancement for Manbij Military Council and the Syria Democratic Forces, where they controlled al-Kasrat area and arrived at the entrance of the new bridge which was destroyed by the International Coalition on the 3rd of February 2017.

The goal of this advancement process was to besiege the “Islamic State” organization and force it to withdraw from the city, before completely surrounding the city and but the organization in a complete siege, and reliable sources informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the decline of fighting operations, and, the fact that the forces of the “Euphrates Wrath” have not been able to advance more inside the city, came as a result of the desperate attempts by members of the “Islamic State” organization to repel the attacks, the intensity of planted mine in the city and on the lines of contact, as well as deploying large numbers of snipers in the city and in the clash areas.

Several reliable sources also confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the “Islamic State” has not withdrawn from the city and no agreement was reached for its withdrawal, despite the fact that the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces have advanced to the southern banks of the Euphrates River south of Al-Raqqah city, and getting closer to the closing of the last withdrawing port in front of the organization from the city towards the rest of its controlled areas, because of Russia’s disapproval of the withdrawal of the “Islamic State” organization towards Deir Ezzor province, and threatening to target the column retreating from Al-Raqqah city if an agreement is reached.