Landmine explosion in Al-Raqqah leaves more casualties and continued fighting in areas there

Al-Raqqah Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: a man was killed and several others were injured in an explosion of a landmine that was planted by ISIS in Tal Al-Bay’ah area, north of Al-Raqqah, amid violent clashes between the SDF backed by the US Special Forces on one hand and ISIS on the other in areas in Al-Raqqah city. Clashes were accompanied by an exchange of shelling between both parties.

The SOHR published Friday morning, the 14th of July 2017 that the Syria Democratic Forces were able to enter the outskirts of Al-Rawda neighborhood after successfully taking full control of Al-Batani neighborhood, which is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Al-Rawda and Rumaila in the northwestern section of the city. These clashes coincided with violent clashes between the Syria Democratic Forces and ISIS elements in the Old City. The “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces failed to maintain their control over the new points and locations to which they advanced in the Old City, as a result of the intense sniper fire and the continued escalation of targeting by bomb-carrying drones, and due to intense mine-planting by the organization and its fortification of areas of its presence, which forced the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces to retreat from these points. The SOHR also learned that also learned that the clashes are taking place at a varying rate of violence between the Syria Democratic Forces and the “Islamic State” organization in the Euphrates Basin housing units in Al-Dar’eiyah area in the western part of Al-Raqqah city. Whereas, the Syria Democratic Forces continue their sweeping ad securing operations of the neighborhoods of Al-Bareed and Al-Qasyeh, west of the city, while the “Islamic State” organization is carrying out counter-attacks on sites to which the Syria Democratic Forces had advanced in Hisham Ibn Abdul Malik neighborhood, amid continuation of intense flights of Apache helicopters in the skies of the city and its participation in the fight against the organization, with successive bombardments by the International Coalition warplanes on sites controlled by the organization. In addition, military reinforcements continue to arrive to Al-Raqqah city, in preparation for the decisive battle, through which the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces are aiming to control the entire city of Al-Raqqah.