SDF control al-Susah town and besiege the remaining ISIS members who refused to surrender in less than 15 square kilometers at the east bank of Euphrates
Deir Ezzor province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the Syria Democratic Forces continuing their offensive in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside, to control the remaining enclave of the “Islamic State” Organization at the east bank of Euphrates River, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the Syria Democratic Forces were able to achieve a new important advancement and control the entire town of al-Susah and its surroundings, besieging ISIS in al-Baghuz Foqani town and in villages and residential communities connected to it, with a combined area of about 15 square kilometers on the east bank of Euphrates River, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several reliable sources that the Syria Democratic Forces during their progress are still hampered by the heavily planted mines, while the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition are targeting positions of the Organization from the air if any resistance took place in the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored at the same time the exit and entry of several American Hummer vehicles and military trucks, to and from the area of frontline area with what is left for of the enclave of the “Islamic State” Organization at the east bank of Euphrates River, while reliable sources suggested that the Coalition and SDF could within the next little time achieve a military victory in the area, while the Syrian Observatory published in the last hours that the “Islamic State” Organization continues its attempt to survive within the last of what remained for it east of Euphrates, which used to control large parts of it when it formed its “Caliphate”, where the Syria Democratic Forces together with ground forces of the International Coalition and the latter’s air support, clamp down more on the Organization which was stretching in the Euphrates river basin area on the east bank, with one area extending from Hajin to the Syrian-Iraqi border, where the Syria Democratic Forces were able to progress and besiege the Organization in al-Susah area and al-Baghuz Foqani town, after cutting its connections to the Iraqi territory and reducing its control in the rest of the areas that used to form the last enclave of the Organization in east Euphrates area, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from several sources that a few hundred members of the “Islamic State” Organization -most of them are of Iraqi, Asian, Arab and other Western nationalities- are still trying to counter the progression of the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, and try to expand its control in the east of Euphrates River by relying on what remained of “infiltrators and suicide bombers, and by detonating booby-trapped vehicles and relying on intensive mines planted by the Organization in the vicinity of its areas.
This attempt to survive comes in the wake of the death and flee of thousands of members of the “Islamic State” Organization and the disappearance of others in its enclave, which is the last enclave for it in the entire east of Euphrates area, and losing it will make it lose the last inhabited areas controlled by the Organization in the Syrian inside, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of 1106 fighters and commanders of the “Islamic State” Organization, who were killed in clashes against the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition forces, and due to bombing and air raids by the Coalition warplanes and in other circumstances; since the 10th of September 2018, the date of the start of the operation of the SDF and the Coalition to end the ISIS enclave, also the Observatory monitored the escape of about 2000 members of the “Islamic State” Organization towards the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas, and towards areas in the west of Euphrates River and to Iraqi territory.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored earlier that the Syria Democratic Forces were able to control towns and villages of Hajin, al-Sha’afah, al-Bo Khatir, al-Bobadran, al-Kashmeh, and al-Baghuz Tahtani, while al-Susah town and the areas between them are still under the control of the “Islamic State” Organization, also people of those who fled confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the organization is greatly collapsed, and it cannot resist no more, where the organization depends in repelling the attacks, on the heavily-planted landmines, the booby trapped vehicles and the “suicide bombers”.
And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the number of those who remained in the enclave of the “Islamic State” Organization is much lower than before, in conjunction with significant decrease in number of fighters, who were divided between supporters of the surrender and between escapee, dead, wounded, and searchers for escape from the area towards the west of Euphrates areas, while several sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the presence of fighters refusing to surrender who want to resistance to the end; and the presence of large numbers of mines planted within the “Islamic State” organization’s-controlled areas; are still preventing the Syria Democratic Forces from taking full control of the area and put an end the presence of the organization east of Euphrates River, the local sources that managed to escape and exit from the enclave, confirmed that the organization is executing those who its arrests during their escape From the area; on charges of “going out to the land of infidel,”.
Also the Syrian Observatory learned that some of those who fled the enclave of the organization, and while being transported to Al-Omar Oilfield and before being sorted out into camps, pay large sums of money in order to get out to areas such as Al-Busayrah, Theban and Gharanij, where sums of money exceed $ 10,000 are paid for fear of being arrested when they reach the camps into which they are sorted out, and the sources suggested that in most cases, ISIS members and families of ISIS members are the ones who pay such sums of money, where they pay them to the parties that are responsible for the transport to the camps from Al-Omar Oilfield, the reliable sources also confirmed that a batch of those who were in the enclave of the organization at the eastern banks of the river, have fled towards the west of the Euphrates River.
Also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several cross intersected sources, confirming that the overwhelming majority of those who fled the enclave of the “Islamic State” Organization and arrived the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas in Deir Ezzor countryside, have carried large amounts of money varied according to the person.
Link to a high-resolution map shows the advancement of the Syria Democratic Forces which managed to confine the “Islamic State” Organization in an area of about 15 km2 at the eastern banks of the Euphrates River
