The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The regime forces expand their battle fronts to put more pressure on ISIS in the south of Damascus

Damascus Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the violent clashes are still continuing between the “Islamic State” organization against the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, in areas in the southern part of the capital Damascus, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the regime forces expanded their combat operations and battle fronts, where the regime forces are seeking to expand their scope of control, decrease ISIS scope of control, push it to the depth of its controlled areas in the south of Damascus, and force it to return to the previous agreement and accept it, and the clashes are accompanied by intensive artillery and rocket shelling by the regime forces on ISIS controlled areas in Al-Tadamon, Yarmouk Camp and Al-Hajar al-Aswad, amid raids by warplanes on the same areas, along with exchange of targeting in the clash areas between the both parties, and information about human losses.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the fall of more human losses, where it has increased to 112 at least, the number of members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, who were killed since Thursday the 19th of April 2018, including 15 officers and 6 of them were executed, while it has increased to 91, the number of members of the organization who were killed in the shelling, clashes and targeting that left tens of wounded in the ranks of the both parties, and the death toll is expected to rise because of the continued combat operations and the presence of injured cases in critical situation.

And the SOHR published in the past few days that it 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, while 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.