The “Islamic State” organization loses more villages within the besieged areas and the regime forces continue their counterattacks in the main road of Aleppo
About 30 members of the regime forces and ISIS were killed during the violent clashes in the northeastern countryside of Salamiyah
Hama province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:: The fighting continues between the regime forces backed by their allied militiamen of Syrian and non-Syrian against members of the “Islamic State” organization within the besieged circle which includes the eastern countryside of Hama and the area linked to it from the side of the eastern countryside of Homs, where the clashes are concentrated in two main areas; they are Jana al-Alabawi and Sheikh Hilal. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the regime forces managed to fully control the village of Jana al-Alabawi in the district of Uqayribat, in the northeastern countryside of Salamiyah city, days after they controlled the northern and southern villages of Dakila and Om Hartyn in the countryside of Salamiyah, while the regime forces continue their repel and violent attack in Sheikh Hilal area, after they managed to control two positions they lost in favor of the regime, while sources asserted to the SOHR that ongoing sounds of explosions in the eastern countryside of Hama, are a result of the heavy and violent shelling of the artillery, mortar, tanks and missiles, which are believed to be ground-to-ground, in addition to the raids carried out by warplanes on the battlefields, and other areas controlled by the organization.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the clashes, which are taking place since last night until now, have left human losses in the ranks of both parties, as the Syrian Observatory documented the death of at least 19 members of the “Islamic State” organization and at least 8 members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen, while tens are injured in the ranks of both parties.
The SOHR published yesterday morning that violent clashes took place between the regime forces and their allied militiamen, of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, on one hand and ISIS on the other in areas near Al-Sa’en and Al-Sheikh Hilal areas on Ithriyah-Salamiyah road. Clashes broke out as a result of an attack by ISIS last night which was also accompanied by explosions of booby-trapped vehicles and tens of shells that targeted regime-controlled areas. The SOHR learned that the attack coincided with another violent attack by the fighters of Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham on Al-Sa’en area in the northeastern countryside of Salamiyah in an attempt to take a step ahead of the regime in the area. Clashes were accompanied by bombings and tens of rockets and artillery shells, amid confirmed information that ISIS managed to make advancement into the area and to take control of positions they had lost earlier. Meanwhile, warplanes carried out intensive raids on ISIS-controlled areas and on areas of clashes between both parties. The regime forces, on the other hand, launched at dawn today, the 24th of August 2017, a violent counter attack on Al-Moor, near Ithriyah-Salamiyah road, and on other areas in the eastern countryside of Salamiyah city aiming at advancing more, minimizing ISIS scope of control and securing the road again. This was also accompanied by an exchange of shelling on areas of clashes and renewed aerial, rocket and artillery shelling on ISIS-controlled areas in Uqayribat and its countryside, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 18th of August 2017 that the regime forces were able to impose the first siege on the “Islamic State” organization in the Syrian Desert, and encircled about an area of 3 thousand kilometer square controlled by the organization that includes about 50 village and several oil and gas fields and wells, this area is extending from the fronts of Jub al-Jarrah and al-Shomariyyeh Mountain, which is about 50 km square away from Homs city to the fronts of the countryside of the western and northwest countryside of Salamiyah and Sha’er Mountain front. This encirclement comes within the greatest encirclement the regime forces are trying to implement which would besiege the organization in thousands of kilometers controlled by the organization in the Syrian Desert in the provinces of Homs and Hama.