The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Regime forces seek to encircle Deir Ezzor city from the third area and bring more military reinforcements preparing for the city’s battle

The Jafra area, located east of the Deir Ezzor military airport, which separates the airport from the western banks of the Euphrates River, is witnessing clashes of escalated violence, between the regime forces supported by the gunmen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against members of the “Islamic State” Organization, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received confirmed information that the “Islamic State” organization managed to capture members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, and information about slaughtering 2 of them in Jufrah area, where the regime forces are trying to reach the western bank of the Euphrates River by attacking Jufrah area, where regime’s arrival will impose a siege from 3 directions around Deir Ezzor city, and the 4th one –which is the front of the Euphrates River– will remain open to the organization to withdraw from the eastern banks in case it decides to withdraw, and the clashes are accompanied by an exchange of shelling in areas between both parties, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the arrival of new military reinforcements brought by the regime forces of its members, the gunmen loyal to them and the clan forces involved in the clashes, in preparations to start a violent battle that aims to restore the entire city of Deir Ezzor from the organization which controls about half the area of Deir Ezzor city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on Monday morning that military reinforcement reached the regime forces in Deir Ezzor, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights observed the arrival of military reinforcement of supplies, mechanism and members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, to take part in the next clashes in Deir Ezzor city and its vicinity and country, after the regime forces managed yesterday to lift the siege completely on Deir Ezzor city, by taking the control of the main artery of the city, which is Deir Ezzor – Damascus road, and it is expected that the regime forces will start a new level of their military operation by advancing in the vicinity of the city from the north-western and the eastern fronts, in addition to clashes inside the city, in order to retake control of the whole city where the organization controls more than half of it.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also published on Sunday the 10th of September that  the regime forces supported by their loyalists gunmen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities and with a cover of artillery shelling and intensive rocket and air bombardment by Russian warplanes, managed to control Jabal al-Thardah overlooking Deir Ezzor Airbase, where this control came after the withdrawal of members of the “Islamic State” organization from the mountain as a result of the intense bombing, and the regime forces managed to advance and control the mountain where they started sweeping it in search of pockets of the organization’s members. The importance of controlling al-Thardah mountain comes from it being overlooking Deir Ezzor Airbase and also it contributes in securing the airbase, where it secures its southern section, also the regime forces can target the towns of al-Mri’eyyeh and al-Bo Omar east of the Airbase, and if the regime forces advance to both towns or fully observe them by firearm then they will secure the takeoff and land of warplanes inside the Deir Ezzor Airbase and increase its security, this also will secure regime’s land forces in case they advanced towards the areas of Jafra and Hwyjet Sakr to besiege the city completely from the side of the western banks of the Euphrates River, while the eastern banks of the river remain open to organization if it decided to withdraw from the city, also the regime forces were able to control the mountain overlooking Deir Ezzor city which complete their control over the west of the city.

The “Islamic State” organization was able to take control of al-Thardah Mountain in mid-September 2016, after a violent attack following strikes by the International Coalition warplanes that targeted locations of regime forces on the mountain, killing more than 90 members of the regime forces and injuring tens of other members, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on Sunday the 10th of September 2017 that 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 the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented since the 3rd until the 10th of September 2017th death of 174 members at least of the “Islamic State” organization including 29 at least who detonated themselves in booby trapped vehicles and explosive belts, while it rose to 57 at least including 11 officers, the number of members of the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, who were killed in the same period of time, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation.