Mine sweepers dismantle mines on Panorama road preparing for meeting the forces in the media and violent clashes in Al-Maqabir area

Explosions are still rocking Deir Ezzor city, as a result of the continuous military operations in the vicinity of the city and its outskirts, in the terms of the shelling, the raids and escalating clashes as a result of the continuous attempts by the regime forces to control the city, and enter to it at its main artery, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the violent clashes are still taking place between the regime forces supported by militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities on one area, and the “Islamic State” organization on the other, in places in Al-Maqabir area between the block of Deir Ezzor Military Airport, and the block of the Brigade 137, and in Al-Makabes and Al-Jaryah in the vicinity of the airport, with the continuation of the regime forces to expand the scope of their control in the area, after they managed yesterday afternoon the 9th of September 2017, to open a passage and reach Deir Ezzor Military Airport, and to lift the siege imposed on the area as well as Harabesh and Al-Tahtouh neighborhoods and large parts in Al-Rasafa since the beginning of 2017, amid the continuous counter attack carried out by ISIS aiming to retake the control of the area and close the gap, which leads to the military airport, while the clashes are accompanied by intensive shelling by the regime forces and by the Russian warplanes as well as regime’s warplanes, on the clash areas, clashes are also taking place between the both parties in the vicinity of the Brigade 137, amid exchange of targeting between the both parties.

And in the main artery front of Deir Ezzor, the first groups of the advanced forces of the regime have met in the media with the forces in Panorama area at the western entrance of Deir Ezzor, after the regime forces managed during last night to hold their control on the Christian cemetery and on the whole road between Deir Ezzor and the capital Damascus passing by Homs, and the meeting took place after mine sweepers opened a passage and dismantled mines to allow the forces to cross and meet in the media, in which reliable sources confirmed that the regime forces intended to delay the announcement of the meeting until the presence of the media that related and loyal to them, reliable sources also confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the photos which were broadcasted on the regime media as if they were of the meeting of the forces inside the Deir Ezzor Military Airport, were not from the place located in the area stretched between the block of Deir Ezzor Military Airport and the block of the Brigade 137 and the neighborhoods related to each block.

And it is expected that aid convoys will enter the city in the nest hours after securing the road more against counter attack which will possibly be carried by the organization, in which the entry of this aid will be easier after opening this way, that will also facilitate the movement of the citizens from and to Deir Ezzor city, while the SOHR published yesterday that the regime forces supported by loyal gunmen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities and with the participation of Russian Special Forces, were able to achieve a strategic advancement, where the forces who are advancing from the side of the block connected to the Brigade 137 through the cemetery area to Deir Ezzor airbase, and were able to open the first gap in the airbase, where the first advancing members met the trapped members after violent clashes, and the regime forces were able under a cover of air, artillery and rocket bombardment to control the area that separates the block controlled by the regime forces and the area connected to the Deir Ezzor airbase, which is composed of the neighborhoods of al-Tahtouh and Harabesh and large parts of Al-Resafa area in the southeastern section of the city, and the part connected to the Brigade 137 which is composed of Jam’eyyat al-Zohur and the neighborhoods of al-Jurah and al-Qosur and parts of the neighborhoods Rashdiyyah and Al-Hwiqa, as well as parts of the neighborhoods Al-Jbila and al-Mowazzafin in the southwestern section of the city, and the process of un-besieging the airbase took about 24 hours, after clashes started by the regime forces at the afternoon of Friday the 8th of September 2017.