The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Shelling accompanied by the ongoing fighting continues on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor countryside

Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the clashes are continuing at the eastern banks of the Euphrates River in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor province, between the Syria Democratic Forces against the members of the “Islamic State” organization, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the clashes are concentrated in the outskirts and the vicinity of Hajin town located on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, and the clashes are accompanied by exchange of targeting in the clash areas between the both parties, and confirmed information about human losses in the ranks of the both parties.

The clashes are also coincided with the overflight of the International Coalition’s warplanes over the area amid their targeting every once and while to positions of the organization and its controlled areas, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on Wednesday that it monitored the outbreak of violent clashes in an attempt by the Syria Democratic Forces to control the entire remaining enclave of the organization in this area, and if Syria Democratic Forces were able to advance, they will end the presence of the organization completely east of Euphrates River, and then the organization will have only 2 enclaves in the far south of al-Hasakah and the far northern countryside of Deir Ezzor, which are adjacent to each other, and these violent clashes which are accompanied by intense missile and artillery shelling by SDF on the fight locations and with exchange of shelling on the clash areas and the contact lines; come after the continuous artillery shelling by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, where the Syrian Observatory monitored the escalation of the missile and artillery shelling targeting Hajin town, and the enclave under the control of the “Islamic State” organization in the eastern banks of Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, in a prelude for a military operation through which the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition aim to end the existence of the “Islamic State” organization east of the Euphrates River, also preparations are underway for another operation against the organization in enclave of the “Islamic State” organization in the southern countryside of Hasakah and the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published in the past few days that the heavy shelling comes with the preparations being carried out by the SDF and the international coalition forces to begin military operation against the regime, where the SOHR published that the eastern and northern countryside of Deir Ezzor and the southern countryside of Al-Hasakah, are witnessing alertness by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, in conjunction with air alertness witnessed in the area east of the Euphrates River, as a part of preparations by them for starting a massive military operation aims to end the presence of the “Islamic State” organization in the entire east of the Euphrates River, where the presence of the organization is concentrated in an enclave that includes 4 villages and towns on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River which are Al-Bahra, Hajin, Abu al-Hassan, Sha’afah, Al-Baghuz, and the organization is also presented in the part in the north-eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, which is connected with the southern countryside of Al-Hasakah which still include 22 villages and areas including Tal Al-Jaber, Tal al-Mnakh, Om Haffur, al-Rimat, Fakkah al-Tarraf, Fakkah al-Shwaykh, al-Hessu, al-Bawardi, al-Dshishiyah, Bajari Desert adjacent al-Suwar Desert which includes the administrative borders between Deir Ezzor and Al-Hasakah.