The killing of 9 members of the organization raises to more than 100, the number of its members and of the members of SDF who were killed in the 1st week of battles and the latter advance in the area supported by firepower of the Coalition and the French
Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continued violent clashes in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, where the clashes are continuing between the “Islamic State” organization against the Syria Democratic Forces supported by the International Coalition, in the areas of Al-Baghuz and the Hajin, in the enclave which is controlled by the organization, and intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that at least 9 members of the organization were killed in the recent hours of today, Sunday, were killed as the SDF managed to enter Al-Baghuz Foqani and advance into it, and the clashes are concentrated inside the town, in an attempt to advance at the expense of the organization which fights desperately to repel the advancement of the SDF through carrying out counterattacks and targeting their positions of advancement, and through precautions by planting landmines and the tunnels that were dug previously, in order to facilitate the move of the organization’s members between the towns of the enclave controlled by it at the eastern bank of the Euphrates, without being subjected to aerial or ground shelling by the International Coalition.
The Syrian Observatory learned from reliable sources that the clashes have completed its 1st week since it started on the 10th of September 2018, where they often witnessed violent clashes and hit-and-run clashes between the both parties, where the SDF are seeking to end the presence of the organization in the area, while the latter is seeking to repel the attack and maintain the last presence left for it as a dominant forces in the east of the Euphrates, and the clashes are accompanied by shelling by the French forces, the International Coalition’s Forces and the Syria Democratic Forces, on the controlled areas of the organization, the most violent of which was the shelling by the French artillery on ISIS last enclave, by more than 100 shells during the latest hours of Saturday the 15th of September 2018, while the clashes resulted in the fall of human losses in the ranks of the both parties, where the number of the members of the Syria Democratic Forces who have been killed since the 10th of September, raised to at least 40 members one of whom has served as a field commander in Deir Ezzor Military Council of the Syria Democratic Forces, while it rose to at least 66, the number of members of the organization who were killed in these clashes, while the death toll is expected to increase due to the presence of information about other casualties as well as the presence of injured cases in serious conditions, the SOHR also monitored that the SDF managed to achieve advancement in Hajin town, and other areas along the enclave which is adjacent to the eastern desert of Deir Ezzor.
While the Syrian Observatory also obtained information from reliable sources, which confirmed that more than 100 members of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish), headed to Hajin and its vicinity in order to hold points of control after the SDF advanced in the area, also the intersected sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the SDF tended to set up a camp of more than 100 tents, in the countryside of Hajin town, in order to provide shelters for the displaced families and the families of the members of the “Islamic State” organizations, where it is expected that the displaced people will be hosted in this camp in the incoming few days, while the Syrian Observatory published hours ago, that it obtained information from several reliable sources, who confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the “Islamic State” organization relies on its military operations in the enclave under its control on the eastern banks of Euphrates river, which is witnessing an attack by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, relies on 3 major elements to repel this attack, which are: the tunnels that were dug by the “Islamic State” organization at the bottom of the towns which link them to each other, also they connect them to the front line and to the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas in the vicinity of the enclave, giving ISIS the freedom of movement without being bombarded by warplanes of the Coalition or targeted by the ground forces operating in the area, in addition to relying on a dense mine network planted before the launch of the military operation on the 10th of September 2018, also the organization relies on counterattacks against the Syria Democratic Forces operating in the area in an effort to inflict as much casualties as possible.
Also the Syrian Observatory received information from several sources who said that members of the “Islamic State” organization have infiltrated through Euphrates River to its western banks, where the areas there are controlled by the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities. The reliable sources confirmed to the observatory that after the infiltration; the members are moving to the desert of Deir Ezzor, to the areas of presence and control of the Organization, as happened before in June and April 2018, where 400 fighter of the “Islamic State” organization of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, have crossed from the enclave east Euphrates -which is surrounded by the Syria Democratic Forces who are supported by the International Coalition- to the west of Euphrates River in the form of groups, where they crossed through al-Shafa area, after intense shelling by the “Islamic State” Organization on areas controlled by the regime and its loyal gunmen west of Euphrates River.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also published yesterday that 30 men and about 100 women with their children, have surrendered to the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition in the vicinity of the enclave which is controlled by the “Islamic State” organization, on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, where reliable sources confirmed to the SOHR that those who have surrendered, have got out of the enclave under the control of the organization, and among them there are members of the organization and their families some of whom are of non-Syrian nationalities, where they have been maintained for one day in Al-Bahra area near Hajin, and then they were taken to unknown destination, suggested to be camps guarded and supervised by the SDF in other areas in the east of the Euphrates, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has obtained information on the 12th of September 2018, from a number of reliable sources, which confirmed to the SOHR that 3 of members of the “Islamic State” organization of non-Syrian nationalities; along with 10 women have surrendered with several children and boys to the Syria Democratic Forces, this took place on the outskirts of al-Baghuz area on the Syrian – Iraqi border, within the last enclave of ISIS east of Euphrates River on the eastern bank of the river, where they were transported to al-Tank oilfield, which was hit on the 11th of September 2018, by a surprise attack by members of the organization, after which violent clashes took place between the attackers against the Syria Democratic Forces fighters in the vicinity of al-Tank oilfield area, which caused casualties in the ranks of both parties, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has monitored the Syria Democratic Forces keeping the organization busy fighting in fronts between Al-Baghuz and Al-Susah and between Hajin and Abu Al-Hassan, where they managed to monitor the roads between these areas by firearm, while the organization and in order to confuse the warplanes flying over its controlled areas, turned to set fire on tires and in holes filled with oil, and these clashes and the aerial and ground bombardment resulted in the fall of more human losses in the ranks of the organization, while intersected sources informed the Syrian Observatory that the grand city of Hajin, became empty from its residents, after they displaced from it to areas far from the shelling although the military operation includes all of the controlled areas of the organization within the enclave, after safe bathes were opened for the exit of the citizens who desire to flee from the area, also the Syrian Observatory published on Sunday the 9th of September 2018, that the Syria Democratic Forces managed to arrest 29 members of the “Islamic State” organization and their families, in Deir Ezzor Desert, and the reliable sources confirmed that the arrests which took place about 24 hours ago, were carried out while members were trying to flee with their families from Deir Ezzor towards the Syrian – Iraqi border, then they will head towards Turkey, and the sources added that among the captives and detainees, there were a Turkish member and 3 others of non-Syrian nationalities, who were with their Russian wives, with other fighters of Syrian and regional nationalities, also large sums of money were found in their possessions, also a female Yazidi captive was with them, where she was released by the SDF.