Rif Dimashq Desert witnesses renewed fighting near the border with Jordan and the regime forces achieve advancement in border points
Rif Dimashq Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the clashes renewed between the regime forces supported by militiamen loyal to them on one hand, and the fighters of the factions operating in the desert, of the forces of Ahmad al-Abdu, Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiyyah and Shuhada’a Al-Qaryatayn Brigade on the other, and reliable sources confirmed to the SOHR that the clashes concentrate in the border area with Jordan,, where the regime forces managed by their renewed attack to achieve advancement and take the control of 4 posts and border points, and the clashes were accompanied by exchange of shelling on the clash area, and information about casualties in the ranks of the both sides.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 5th of September 2017 that the regime forces managed to advance again and take control of two border checkpoints, amid shelling on areas of clashes. Casualties were reported at both sides as a result of clashes, shelling and the exchange of targeting.
Also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 3rd of September 2017 that the regime forces managed to regain control over two border checkpoints. It also published a few days ago that that it learned that the regime forces made an advancement into about 5 border posts and other points, which used to be controlled by the factions. In addition, the SOHR published earlier that since the 25th of August 2017 the regime forces managed to take control of 10 positions, including border checkpoints, which used to be controlled by the factions. Clashes were accompanied by an exchange of targeting between both parties, and by shelling by the regime forces on areas of clashes and positions of the factions. Casualties were reported at both sides. It is worth mentioning that the SOHR also published on the 10th of August 2017 that the regime forces made a strategic advancement into the area and took control of border posts, putting an end to the factions’ presence at the Syrian – Jordanian border within the administrative border with Al-Suwaidaa Province. Clashes were accompanied by an exchange of shelling and airstrikes targeting areas of clashes. Such an advancement left no access to the factions to the east and southeast parts of Syria except for a border strip at the border of the southeastern part of Rif Dimashq with Jordan, in addition to a border strip with Iraq extending over the provinces of Rif Dimashq and Homs, which includes al-Tanf border crossing between Syria and Iraq. This advancement came after more than a month of continuous attacks by the regime forces, less than 48 hours following the implementation of the southern Syria truce. The factions operating in the countryside of Al-Suwaidaa then said that they have not been notified by any party about the agreement and its items. The agreement was reached by a Russian-American-Jordanian consensus and came into force on the 9th of July 2017 in the Provinces of Al-Suwaidaa, Quneitra and Daraa.
In the same context, Shuhada’a al-Qaryatayn Brigade announced in a statement that it rejects the commands of any outside party and that it rejects being controlled by any party; in their statement they meant the International Coalition and they also said that they disconnected their connection to International Coalition so than no body tells them “how to move and where to fight”.