The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

The pace of clashes in the vicinity of what remained for ISIS east of Euphrates increase again after the counterattack against SDF sites

Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored continuous clashes taking place in areas within the last remaining enclave of the “Islamic State” Organization at the east bank of Euphrates River, between members of the Organization against the Syria Democratic Forces supported by the International Coalition, in a continuous attempts by the latter to achieve new advancement with the support of continuous and renewed shelling, in order to end the presence of the Organization in the area completely, where the escalation of clashes comes in the wake of its decline yesterday, in the vicinity of what remained for the Organization of areas within its last enclave on the east bank of Euphrates River, also where the Syrian Observatory monitored clashes between the Syria Democratic Forces against the members of the “Islamic State” organization, in areas in the vicinity of what remains of the organization of areas within its last enclave on the east bank of Euphrates River, where the Syrian Observatory monitored the clashes continue at varying degrees of violence, amid exchange of targeting in the clash areas, where the Syria Democratic Forces continue to sweep al-Shafa town in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside after they controlled it, in conjunction with sweeping all the areas they have controlled, after which they were able to besiege the organization in the towns of al-Susah and al-Baghuz Foqani, where the Organization is still trying to regain control of the areas it lost, and to survive in the east of Euphrates area at the east bank of the river, while the Syrian Observatory monitored during the military operations which began on the 10th of September 2018 until today; the 8th of January of 2019, the fall of large number of casualties, included hundreds of casualties in the clash of east Euphrates and the operations of the rocket shelling that accompanied it, and the detonation of booby-trapped vehicles and other aspects of the military operation.

The Syrian Observatory documented the death of 1087 fighters of the “Islamic State” organization, who were killed in bombings, clashes, shelling and raids within the last enclave of the Organization since the 10th  of September 2018, and the Syrian Observatory also documented the death of 602 members of the Syria Democratic Forces, who were killed since the 10th of September 2018, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 367 civilians including 130 children and 83 women, (including 205 Syrian citizens including 85 children and 54 women of Syrian nationality), they were killed in shelling and bombardment on the enclave of the “Islamic State” organization, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the Syria Democratic Forces being able to achieve the important advancement, the first in Abu Hasan village and the second is the control of al-Bukhatir village which are east of Hajin town, which was controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces before the US decision to withdraw from the area, and the SOHR monitored that the SDF managed to achieve advancement in positions and points in the organization’s enclave, as a part of process of clamping down on the organization even more, and now only al-Susah and al-Baghuz Foqani and besieging it in them.

The “Islamic State” Organization is having its last breath and tries hard to find a breathing space that relieves it of the heavy war against it this time, where its loss of the important strongholds in its last remaining areas has weighed heavily on him, and made it in a continuous decline towards a complete loss that ends its existence in the coming days in the east Euphrates area, which used to be the most powerful areas of its existence, and thus, it  loses the last populated areas, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the clashes are still varied in violence, between the Syria Democratic Forces against members of the “Islamic State” Organization, in areas in the vicinity of the towns of al-Baghuz Foqani and al-Susah, which are the last two populated areas controlled by the Organization in the Syrian territory, other than that; the Organization exists only in a large enclave extending between Deir Ezzor and Homs, and in the form of sleeper cells in several areas of Syria, where the Organization is still desperately trying to stay within the last two areas, and re-expand its control by exploiting weather conditions and the carrying out counterattacks, the last of which took place in the last hours of the night, through attacks during that sandstorm that hit the area, as part of the Organization’s attempt to restore al-Shafa town which it lost before its attack by about 24 hours completely, and lost with it a lot of areas that it used to control and it remained besieged within the towns of al-Susah and al-Baghuz Foqani.

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the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored hundreds of civilians leaving the enclave of the “Islamic State” Organization, and fleeing to areas controlled by the Syria Democratic Forces, where the Syrian Observatory monitored the exit of about 500 civilians mostly children and women, and they were transferred to camps in al-Hool area in the southern countryside of al-Hasakah, raising to 13750, the number of people who have gotten out of the organization’s enclave in December 2018, of different nationalities of Syria, Iraq Russia, Somalia, Philippine and other Asian nationalities, and about 11650 of them have gotten out after the decision of the American president Trump to withdraw from Syria on the 19th of December 2018, also the Syria Democratic Forces managed to arrest more than 550 members of the “Islamic State” Organization, of who infiltrated with the displaced people and fled the “Islamic State” organization’s-controlled areas, the sources confirmed that most of the arrests were carried out after information from the people who got out of the enclave about their infiltration, while others have surrendered themselves after they managed to leave ISIS last enclave

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that tens of trucks entered the area of the east of the Euphrates, within the 3rd batch of military and logistic aid to be delivered to the area of east Euphrates, since the decision of the US president, Donald Tramp, to withdraw the American forces from the east of the Euphrates and from the Syrian territory, and the Syrian Observatory learned that about 150 trucks carrying military vehicles and military and logistic equipment have reached the area of east Euphrates, coming from Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where they headed to the areas where they will be unloaded within the controlled areas of the Syria Democratic Forces, while the SOHR monitored on the 29th of December 2018, the entry of tens of trucks coming from Kurdistan Region of Iraq, to areas in the Syrian interior within the area of the east of the Euphrates, and in the details obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights; the recent hours of today, Saturday the 29th of December 2018, witnessed the entry of about 200 trucks loaded with weapons, ammunition and other logistic equipment, to the International Coalition military bases in Al-Raqqah, Manbij and Ayn Issa, and this is the second convoy to be entered the east Euphrates, after the US decision on the 19th of December 2018, to withdraw its forces from the area, and this action is coincided with the talks that are underway among the circles of the American administration about withdrawing the weapons or keeping them in the Syria Democratic Forces’ possession.

The reliable sources added to the Syrian Observatory that the organization is still continuing to use the citizens remaining in its areas, as human shields through forcing them to wander about the areas where they are still present, in an attempt to prevent the International Coalition from targeting them, and the reliable sources have confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the remaining members of the “Islamic State” Organization in its enclave extending on a part of the east bank of Euphrates River; are divided into 2 main sections, one which supports the surrender to the SDF, and another refuses to surrender and fights the Syria Democratic Forces violently, in an attempt to prevent their progress within the rest of the enclave, which in the event ISIS lost, it will lose its last populated areas within the Syrian territory, while the “Islamic state” Organization earlier carried out executions against several members who allowed civilians to flee towards the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas, also the people confirmed that fighters who objected to continue to fight to the end and preferred to surrender were executed.