The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

After an undisclosed agreement, the regime forces imposes their control over Hwyjet Katea’ and tens of ISIS members surrender, the fate of about 150 civilians in it is unknown

Deir Ezzor Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several reliable sources that the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them have managed to impose their control over Hwyjet Katea’, which is a river island in the Euphrates River at the outskirts Deir Ezzor city, Days after being surrounded and shelled by the regime forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the control took place after the surrender of tens of members of the “Islamic State” organization and handing themselves over to the regime forces, who are besieging Hwyjet Katea’ since the beginning of November 2017, while the fate of about 150 civilians is still unknown until now, where their fate is blurred after regime forces’ control of Hwyjet Katea’, as these forces started sweeping the Hwyjet Katea’, of which the “Islamic State” organization headed to with about 150 civilians after regime forces’ control of the entire Deir Ezzor city on the 2nd of November 2017.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from reliable sources that the process of handing over ISIS members in the Hwyjet Katea’ for themselves was carried out through an agreement between them and between the regime forces who are besieging Hwyjet Katea’, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 14th of November 2017 that the regime forces intend through mediators of them to negotiate with the remaining members of ISIS, in order to reach an agreement enables the citizens to get out of the area, while the destiny determined by the regime forces for the members of the organization remaining in Hawija Katea is still unknown, and reliable sources confirmed that the Russian forces and the regime forces, are trying hard not to give the chance for the Syria Democratic Forces to transport the citizens and get them out with the members of the organization, as the SDF provided previously that the members of the organization have to surrender and allow the citizens to leave to the controlled areas of the SDF, while the regime forces are seeking to forces the members of the organization in Hawija Katea to surrender and get the citizens trapped in Hawija Katea to other areas they want to leave to.

And the sources clarified to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that these new procedures, disagree with the former Russian threats to target any boat of the SDF or of another party if it approaches Hawija Katea, to transport the citizens, while fears increase daily for the lives of about 150 citizens, 6 of them were killed until now by shelling by the regime forces on Hawija Katea, in which the “Islamic State” organization use the citizens as human armors to secure its way out of the area, without facing the other parties, and the sources confirmed that the number of the citizens is about 150 citizens, after some of the besieged people managed to escape through the Euphrates River to the banks opposite the Euphrates River, and tens of members of the organization still accompany the citizens in Hawija Katea, while the SDF approved to transport the citizens to their controlled areas on condition that the members of the organization surrender, while the Russian party refuses to let the members of ISIS withdraw, with the exception of handing over two internees of the Russian forces of who were captured in Deir Ezzor countryside, during counter attacks carried out by the “Islamic State” organization at the end of September 2017 and the beginning of October 2017.