About 220 casualties and wounded of the Russian security companies, the regime forces and their allies in Coalition’s bombing and the explosion of a warehouse of the Russian protection forces east of Euphrates
Russian security companies were in the east of the Euphrates to advance with the regime forces and their allies towards the oil and gas fields which are controlled by SDF and the Coalition
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several reliable sources that the number of casualties of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them, of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities and members of the Russian security companies has increased dramatically in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, as a result of the strikes of the International Coalition and the explosion of a warehouse on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, and in the details monitored and documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: it rose to 68, the number of persons who were killed by bombing by the International Coalition and the explosion of the warehouse in the east of the Euphrates River, they are 45 members and most of them are of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian nationalities from al-Baqir Brigade which belongs to the Sheikh of al-Baggarah Clan, Nawaf al-Bashir, who announced earlier his “reconciliation” with the regime, and he led with his sons groups of his clan to fight alongside the regime, where they were targeted by bombardment of the International Coalition in Marat, Khasham and al-Salhiya opposite of Deir Ezzor city on the eastern banks of Euphrates River, in addition to targeting sites of the regime forces in the vicinity of Khasham town, and vehicles and artilleries of the regime forces.
The other 23 are members of al-Baqir Brigade and of the Russian security companies located in Tabiyah Jazeera, all of them were killed in an explosion of a warehouse of the Russian protection forces, where members of al-Baqir Brigade were trying to get weapons outside of the warehouse then the warehouse which was booby-trapped exploded, which killed 23 members including members of the Russian security companies, who were present in the area to advance with the gunmen loyal to the regime forces to the oil and gas fields on the eastern banks of Euphrates River, including one of the sons of Nawaf al-Bashir who leads al-Baqir Brigade, also the explosion in the warehouse and the strikes that targeted the regime forces and their allies in the east of Euphrates on the 8th and 9th of February 2018, have injured more than 150 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities; and members of the Russian security companies, the sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that Coalition’s bombing and the explosion of the warehouse did not cause casualties of the Russian forces.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on Thursday morning the details of what happened east of the Euphrates River, between the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition against the regime Forces and their allies of Arab and Asian nationalities, and in the details obtained by the SOHR; gunmen and agents loyal to the regime forces spread a rumor on the 7th of January 2018 in Deir Ezzor countryside, that the regime prepares to advance in Deir Ezzor countryside and that the International Coalition abandoned the SDF, which remained alone in the face of the regime, after that an exchange of artillery shelling took place one hour before the midnight of Wednesday – Thursday, between the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them located in Khsham area east of the Euphrates River, against the SDF located in the villages of Jdid Ekydat, Jdid Bakara and Koniko oilfield, followed by clashes by machineguns between the both parties in the contact areas between them, which pushed the International Coalition to intervene in this conflict between the both parties, thus, the forces of the International Coalition who are stationed in Al-Omar oilfield launched more than 12 missiles targeting the regime forces in Khsham, Marat and Al-Salhiya opposite to Deir Ezzor city on the eastern banks of Euphrates River.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from intersected sources, that it was not enough for the International Coalition to carry out this rocket shelling, so the International Coalition’s warplanes intervened and targeted positions of the regime forces in the vicinity of Khsham town, targeting vehicles of the regime forces and their allies and artilleries, and the Syrian Observatory monitored alertness by the residents of the areas controlled by SDF in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and they headed to the fronts to support the SDF to repel regime’s attack towards the areas that are out of its control, also displacement took place from Jdid Ekydat, Jdid Bakara and Al-Dahleh, to other areas east of Euphrates River out of fears of renewed shelling by the regime forces.
Also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published earlier that the Russian oil companies are responsible directly for repairing the infrastructure of the oil and gas fields, which were controlled by the “Islamic State” organization earlier, accompanied by security companies whose mission is to protect these fields and watch them in the Syrian desert and in regime forces’ controlled areas in Syria.