South Damascus clashes continue violently, the warplanes and regime forces shell ISIS-controlled areas
Damascus Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the clashes continue at a violent pace in the vicinity and outskirts of Yarmouk Camp, al-Hajar al-Aswad and al-Tadamon in the southern part of the capital, Damascus, between the “Islamic State” organization against the regime forces supported by the gunmen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, amid the continuation of intense rocket shelling by the regime forces within their constant attack on these areas, also warplanes carried out more airstrikes on places in al-Hajar al-Aswad and the clash areas, and information about more casualties in the ranks of both parties, where the Syrian Observatory published yesterday, Tuesday, that it documented more casualties due to the continued military operations in the area, where it rose to 99 at least, the number of members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities who were killed in 13 days of fighting, including several officers first officers (5 of them were executed) and at least 9 of them were killed on Tuesday, also it rose to 86, the number members of the “Islamic State” Organization who were killed during the same period as a result of the shelling, clashes and targeting, which also left tens of injuries in the ranks of both parties, and the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 27th of April 2018 that it SOHR received details regarding the meeting that took place between representatives of the factions positioned on the contact line between the towns of Yalda, Bebbila and Beit Saham south of Rif Dimashq and the “Islamic State” organization’s controlled areas control south of Damascus, where intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that officers of the Republican Guards and NDF Forces; asked representatives of south Rif Dimashq and south of the capital for Jaysh al-Ababil to hand over its position points on the fronts of the “Islamic State” organization at the outskirts of al-Tadamon, in order for the regime forces to face the organization and advance at its expense, where this request came after the regime forces failed to advancement at the expense of the factions in this area, which was rejected by the other party, and they confirmed to regime’s officers that Jaysh al-Ababil would not shoot on the regime during its attack on the organization and fighting it, then the officers threatened to shell Jaysh al-Ababil if their points are not delivered within 2 hours of the 25th of April 2018, they have also accused the representatives of the south of Rif Dimashq of seeking to build an agreement between the opposition and Russia.
Representatives of south of Rif Dimashq complained to the Russian General in charge of the area –who attended the meeting on the same day–, and the general said that requests of the regime forces’ officers are unacceptable and he will carry out a meeting with the regime’s Minister of Defense and the General Ali Mamlouk, and even if it was necessary; he will meet Bashar Alassad personally, and the only solution in which the regime receives these fronts, is when the regime accepts the factions’ leave from the south of Rif Dimashq, and the General promised at the meeting on 25th of April to take the wounded of Jaysh al-Islam to receive treatment in the Syrian north, and opening the crossings towards the south of Rif Dimashq, he also confirmed in a response to one of regime’s officials, about Hezbollah’s heading to Quneitra and Daraa to fight Israel by saying that the Russian vision is based on Hezbollah heading to Deir Ezzor and Al-Mayadin.
The same sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the Jaysh al-Islam have handed over about half of it position points opposite to the “Islamic State” organization to the regime forces, after a meeting for commanders of Jaysh al-Islam south of Rif Dimashq with an Islamic brigade working in the area, and, with the regime forces, which pushed fighters of Jaysh al-Islam to leave their position points and they were divided in this decision between them and the leadership of Jaysh al-Islam.
The trusted sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the meeting on the 26th of April 2018 have included the Russian General, who confirmed that after his meeting with Ali Mamlouk and the Russian Forces’ Commander in Syria, they saw that there is no use in regime’s presence on the line separating the factions and the “Islamic State” organization, and that the factions operating in the south of Rif Dimashq should maintain their fronts without allowing the organization to advance, and should prepare a coordination team between the factions operating south of Rif Dimashq and the regime forces for both parties to coordinate with each other’s, after stopping the violations of the 4th Division and the Republican Guards against the factions, and that the humanitarian crossing that reach to the areas of south of Rif Dimashq will be opened, provided that the organization does not benefit from it, the sources also confirmed that the Russian General asked for the attendance of all officers who threatened the factions in the meeting on April the 25th, and assured them that everyone must follow orders and instructions, and that the regime has no ability to face the organization as the factions do, and that the Republican Guards must be cautious because it is a scandal for a member of them to be slaughtered by the “Islamic State” organization and beheaded, and that he is confident that many of them will be beheaded if they take the contact points of the factions instead of fighters of the factions working south of Rif Dimashq, and he put the regime officers responsible for the injury of its members or members of the factions.