ISIS forces the Iraqi Popular Mobilization to retreat to the border and the regime forces resume their attacks to reach Al-Bokamal city from (T 2) front

Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the clashes continued in the eastern countryside of Al-Bokamal city, near the Syrian Iraqi border, between the members of the “Islamic State” organization against the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of the fighting between the both parties in el-Hiri area opposite Al-Qa’im area, which the “Islamic State” organization incorporated with Al-Bokamal and its countryside within an administrative organization named as “the Euphrates State”, and the fighting accompanied by exchange of targeting between the both parties, and shelling by the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, while the organization managed to carry out counter attacks that kept the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces away and sent them back to the Syrian – Iraqi border, after members of them advanced into Al-Bokamal countryside, and clashed against the organization which withdrew from Al-Qa’im border crossing and Al-Husaibah area and its vicinity in the Iraqi side of the border towards Al-Bokamal city and its countryside.

 

This fighting is accompanied by continuation of the clashes between the regime forces backed by armed militiamen loyal to them of Syrian, Arab and Asian nationalities against the members of the “Islamic State” organization, in the south-western desert of Al-Bokamal, where the regime forces are trying to achieve further advancement in the area of the Second Station (T 2), and minimize the distance between them and Al-Bokamal city, after they reached at a distance of less than 30 km away from the city, which is the biggest stronghold of ISIS remaining in Syria, and this fighting in this front coincides with intensive bombardment by the regime forces by warplanes and helicopters as well as exchange of targeting in the clash areas.

 

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that airstrikes targeted areas in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor near the Syrian-Iraqi border, in conjunction with shelling on the area, and the Syrian Observatory learned that the Iraqi forces and their accompanying Popular Mobilization Forces had shelled al-Baghuz town opposite to al-Bokamal city on the Syrian-Iraqi border, which caused material damage but no information about casualties, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the displacement of tens of families from the town towards Deir Ezzor Desert, also the Syrian Observatory has monitored targeting by unidentified warplanes for areas in the village of Swi’eiyyah near the Syrian – Iraqi border near al-Bokamal city in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, which caused the death of 4 citizens of one family (a man and his son with his wife and child), also the shelling wounded several people, the Syrian Observatory also monitored the entry of vehicles were carrying members of the “Islamic State” organization, coming from the Iraqi area of Al-Qa’im and the border crossing to it, after the Iraqi forces and the accompanied Popular Mobilization Forces managed to take the control of the crossing, and the Syrian Observatory monitored the entry of members of ISIS to Al-Bokamal area and its desert, with vehicles that reached the controlled areas of the regime forces, and this withdrawal of the organization from the border crossing, coincides with the violent fighting which is taking place between the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities and the “Islamic State” organization, in areas in the south-western desert of Al-Bokamal, where the regime forces managed to minimize the distance of their advancement to about 30 km from the city which is the biggest stronghold of the organization remaining in Syria, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 31st of October 2017, that the regime forces and after 72 hours of being sent away to a distance of about 65 km south-west of Al-Bokamal, managed to absorb the counter attack and they carried out a new attack under a cover of intensive shelling, enabled them to advance and became at a distance of about 50 km away from of Al-Bokamal city, amid the continuation of the fighting between the both parties, in continuous attempts by the regime forces by the regime forces to reach the city in order to impose full control over it, the advancement also enabled them to fortify their positions in (T 2), and this violent fighting was accompanied by intensive raids by the Russian warplanes as well as regime’s warplanes, and shelling by the regime forces on the controlled areas of the organization, and exchange of targeting in the contact areas and detonating booby trapped vehicles and explosive belts, which caused more human losses, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented during the battles of advancement to Al-Bokamal, and the clashes of hit-and-run and the advancement and the withdrawals during them, on the western banks of the Euphrates River, and the south-western desert of Al-Bokamal, the increase of the number of the casualties of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities to 98 members at least, while the number of the casualties of the “Islamic State” organization, has increased to 124 members at least including commanders, of who have been killed in the shelling, clashes and raids since the 23rd of October 2017, until today the 31st of October 2017