Violent fighting rages in the Vehicle Department and its vicinity and the aerial and ground shelling continues on the Eastern Ghouta

Rif Dimashq Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the violent clashes are continuing in areas in the Vehicle Department near Harasta, between the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them against Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahrar Al-Sham Islamic Movement and Al-Rahman Corps, in conjunction with the continuation of the intensive shelling by the regime forces on the clash areas and other areas in Harasta city and its outskirts, while the warplanes targeted areas in Harasta by several strikes after the midnight of Monday – Thursday, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published last night, that the clashes continue between Ahrar al-Sham, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and Rahman Corps against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, in a continuation of the attack by the factions on the Vehicle Department, the clashes are accompanied by shelling and continuous targeting between both parties, and the Syrian Observatory monitored the factions achieving an advancement through their offensive, by controlling 2 buildings in the Technical Institute area from the side of Madyara town, and the Syrian Observatory published hours ago that Harasta city has been witnessing intense aerial bombardments since Monday, the 8th of January 2017, which is the 11th day of escalating of the military operations as well as the ground and air strikes on cities and towns of the Eastern Ghouta, where it rose to 42 at least, the number of raids that targeted areas in Harasta city, its outskirts and vicinity, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored today this evening Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, the Islamic movement of Ahrar Al-Sham and Rahman Corps carrying out a violent attack on the Vehicle Department, where a violent clash is taking place between them against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them accompanied by intense and heavy shelling, amid the targeting in the in the clash areas between them, in conjunction with the fall of a missile believed to be ground-to-ground launched by the regime forces on areas at the outskirts of the Vehicle Department from the side of Madyara. The factions are trying through their attack to disperse the regime forces and close the hole that the regime forces managed to open at midnight of yesterday.

 

The Special Task Forces of the 4th division of the regime forces were able yesterday night to open a road to the Vehicle Department besieged by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, Ahrar Al Sham Islamic Movement and Al-Rahman Corps, near the city of Harasta in the Eastern Ghouta of Damascus, where the regime forces managed to advance to the buildings of the criminal security nearby the province building, and opened a road to the forces advancing along with the besieged members from the Vehicles Department, whose number are dozens of officers and members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen, and the factions managed, through an attack from the areas of Harasta and Arbin, to besiege the regime forces in the Vehicle Department on the 31st of December 2017, while it worth mentioning that these ongoing and violent battles between the regime forces against the factions in the Eastern Ghouta have increased the number of human losses in both of their ranks, where it rose to at least 72 members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen, including 7 officers at least including 5 brigadiers, who were killed in shelling and clashes in the Eastern Ghouta since the 29th of December 2017, while it rose to at least 87, the number of fighters of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, Ahrar Al-Sham Islamic Movement, Al-Rahman Corps, who were killed in the fronts of Vehicle Department, Province Building, and Air Intelligence vicinity, including a Saudi fighter who blew himself up in a booby trapped vehicle on the first day of the attack, which led to the siege of the Vehicle Department, the SOHR also documented human losses of both parties on the front of Al-Marj area where 2 fighters of Jaysh Al-Islam were killed in shelling and clashes in Al-Marj area, during the fight against the regime forces and their allied militiamen, and in the same clashes 17 members of the regime forces were killed and tens of both parties were injured.