The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

After more than one month of stopping the military operation in it, Coalition and SDF prepare again to launch a military operation against ISIS in the east bank of Euphrates

Deir Ezzor Province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from reliable sources, who confirmed to the observatory that the International Coalition Forces and the Syria Democratic Forces are making preparations again to start a military operation on the east banks of Euphrates river, against the “Islamic State” organization, which is present in several towns and villages extending from Hajin area to the Syrian – Iraqi border on the east bank of Euphrates river, where this is considered the last enclave in which the organization is present in this bank of the river, the sources added that preparations are underway by bringing more military reinforcements and preparing the vehicles, artillery, rocket launchers, and medium and heavy machine guns, where it is expected for this military operation to start in the coming days towards the ISIS-controlled area of Hajin, in an attempt by the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces to control the area after they failed to do so earlier, due to the desperate fighting by the organization to repel the attacks against it, also, during the past days Hajin area has witnessed rocket shelling by the International Coalition, which targeted the town and its surroundings, by rocket shelling from the bases located in the east of Euphrates River, the last of which was the shelling that took place 2 days ago by 25 missiles and several air strikes, which killed at least 12 members of the organization.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 24th of June 2018 that tens of vehicles carrying hundreds of members arrived in the vicinity of this enclave, in preparation for the attack on Hajin town and the towns and villages adjacent to it in this enclave to end the existence of the organization in it, after finishing from the last enclave of the Organization in the southern countryside of Al-Hasakah, after which the organization was completely expelled from the area, and its presence in al-Hasakah Province was ended completely as a controlling organization.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 23rd of June 2018 that a batch of the forces which were located in the southern countryside of Al-Hasakah, headed towards ISIS last enclave at the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, while the rest of the forces which are located in the area, are getting ready to depart to the same destination, to start a wide-scale military operation aiming to end the presence of the organization in its last enclave at the Euphrates’ eastern bank.

The organization is failing in keeping the Syria Democratic Forces away of the area, because the area where SDF are located is high and overlook the last enclave of the Organization in the east bank of Euphrates River. These clashes comes in conjunction with the arrival of military reinforcements successively to the eastern countryside Deir Ezzor where the fronts are close to this enclave, in order to start a military operation against this enclave and terminate the presence of the Organization, where the Syrian Observatory monitored the arrival of tens of vehicles and machines and hundreds of members to start a new military operation, after more than 3 weeks on the failure to storm Hajin by the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 22nd of June 2018  that planes of the International Coalition dropped leaflets over Hajin town and al-Bukhatir area, these leaflets included caricatures of members and leaders of the Organization, containing expressions about putting the members in fight fronts and in clashes within the East Euphrates by leaders of the organization, and putting the member within the illusion that they would win and defeat their opponents, these leaflets come as SDF and Coalition Forces of Italian, French and American nationalities and other western forces come close to completely control the last enclave of the “Islamic State” organization in the southern countryside of al-Hasakah, after being able to control most of the enclave near the Syrian – Iraqi border, in which the organization sued to be there before the start of the military operation in early June, also they came after the failure of the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition to break into Hajin town, as a result of the violent resistance of the Organization’s members, and the process of repelling the attack on the last enclave in which ISIS is located at the eastern banks of Euphrates River, where the Syrian Observatory had previously published that the clashes have stopped since early June in the vicinity of Hajin and the areas adjacent it, as a result of the failure of SDF and the International Coalition at taking the control of the area, and reliable sources also confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the course of military action east of Euphrates River is diverted, where preparations are underway to carry out a wide military operation in the remaining enclave of the Organization in the southern countryside of al-Hasakah; which is connected with the Organization’s enclave in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor the near the Syrian-Iraqi border, where the enclave witnessed artillery shelling in the past hours targeted Tal al-Shayer area in the southern countryside of Al-Hasakah, but it was not known whether the source of the artillery shelling was the Syria Democratic Forces or the Iraqi forces, the SOHR also obtained information from reliable sources reported that there are more than 65 first-rank commanders of the “Islamic State” organization in Hajin town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, the majority of them are of Iraqi nationality in addition to foreign nationalities, and the sources have also reported to the Syrian Observatory that there are more than 800 detainees of the “Islamic State” organization in Hajin town, their fate is unknown until the moment, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also published last Sunday, that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights received information from several reliable sources, confirming that military operations at the time of their launch against the last enclave the “Islamic State” organization in the east bank of Euphrates River, starting with rocket shelling by the French and American forces on sites and areas controlled by ISIS, in a prelude for the ground attack which YPG intended to carry out, and when controlling the area the Kurdish forces will carry out sweep operations, then joint Arab and Kurdish Forces of SDF will settle in the area, protect and secure it after expelling the organization from it, and the past 72 hours witnessed advancement operation by the Syria Democratic Forces with the support of French and American forces, where they controlled a strategic hill near al-Baghuz Foqani area, after violent clashes between SDF and ISIS, amid exchange of targeting in the clash areas between both parties, and rocket shelling on the areas controlled by the organization during the night’s hours of the 13th of May 2018.