The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

After they failed to advance on the western banks of the Euphrates River, the regime forces come closer to Al-Bukamal through the borders with Iraq

Deir Ezzor province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:: the regime forces, which managed to achieve strategic advancement through controlling the city of Deir Ezzor, received consecutives bombshells during the past days in the desert of Deir Ezzor and its countryside, as the regime forces retreated to the desert of Al-Mayadeen after they had managed to control the town of Al-Quriyah and Mahakan and reach the outskirts of Al-Ashara districyt, and the regime forces were forces to return to the T2 station, before they managed yesterday to reach to an area of 30 km away southwest of Al-Bukamal city, coming from T2 after they confronted a repel attack by the organization.
After the fight return to the desert of Al-Mayadeen, located more than 65 km from the border city of Al-Bukamal, which is the organization’s main stronghold in Syria, in addition to the failure of the regime forces to resume advancing in the western banks of the Euphrates River, the regime forces managed to advance in the past 72 hours east of T2 Station and become closer to the Syrian – Iraqi borders, in an attempt by them to advance to the main stronghold of ISIS, Al-Bukamal, through advancing along the Syrian Iraqi borders, and force ISIS to withdraw from the eastern desert of Deir Ezzor and areas located west of the Euphrates, to east of the Euphrates, in order to control the largest possible area within the least time and with the least losses, and the regime forces seek reinforce their presence and fortify their sites against potential repel attacks by the organization.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published earlier that 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.