The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

In a violent counterattack… the “Islamic State” organization regains control of points in the first neighbourhood it lost in Al-Raqqah city

Al-Raqqah Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several reliable sources that violent clashes are taking place between the forces of “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces against the “Islamic State” organization, after a violent attack carried out by the last mentioned on positions controlled by “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces, and in the details documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; groups of members of the “Islamic State” organization between 30 to 40 Members carried out violent counterattacks on positions of the Syrian Elite Forces in the neighborhoods of al-Sinaa and al-Mashlab, reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the fighters of the organization were wearing the military uniform of the Syria Democratic Forces, and carried out attacks on both neighborhoods located in the eastern section of Al-Raqqah city, the capital of the “Islamic State” organization and its stronghold in Syria, where members of the organization controlled several points and sites in the neighborhoods of al-Sinaa and al-Mashlab, while clashes continue violently, and confirmed information about casualties in the ranks of both parties, as a result the clashes and detonating 3 booby trapped vehicle by the organization during its members’ counterattack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published that the forces of Manbij Military Council operating under the Syria Democratic Forces managed to achieve strategic advance at the southern banks of the Euphrates River in the south of al-Raqqa city, where reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the Syria Democratic Forces managed to complete its encircling of al-Raqqa city and completely besiege it through advancing from Kasrat al-Faraj towards the southern banks opposite to al-Mashlab neighborhood and control all the villages opposite to al-Raqqa city south of the Euphrates River, where the southern banks of the Euphrates River on the 20th of June 2017 witnessed an important advancement by the Manbij Military Council and the Syria Democratic Forces, of which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the control of the Manbij Military Council and the Syria Democratic Forces on al-Kasrat area and their advancement to the entrance of the New Bridge which is destroyed by the International Coalition on the 3rd of February 2017.

This advancement aimed at besieging the “Islamic State” organization and forcing it to withdraw from the city before completing the siege of the city. Several sources asserted to the Syrian observatory for Human Rights in the past days, that the “Islamic state” organization didn’t withdraw from the city, and that there was no agreement on withdrawal despite the advancement of the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces on the southern banks of the Euphrates River south of al-Raqqa city, and closing the last exit in front of the organization from the city to the rest of their controlled areas, as a result of the Russian refusal to the withdrawal of the “Islamic State” organization towards Deir Ezzor province, and its threats to target the withdrawing groups from al-Raqqa city in case an agreement was reached in this regards.

This strategic progress and the control of the Syria Democratic Forces on the southern banks of the Euphrates River opposite to the city of al-Raqqa, and the blocking of the last exit for the “Islamic State” organization from the city of al-Raqqa towards the rest of its controlled areas in Syria, came in conjunction with the end of the third year of the “caliphate” announced by the “Islamic State” organization on the 29th of June 2014.