The countryside of Salamiyah and northeast of Hama witness clashes between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and the regime forces
The violent clashes continue between Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham against the “Islamic State” organization in areas in the northern countryside of Hama, after attacks between both parties and hit-and-run clashes, accompanied by exchange of shelling and targeting, where each party seeks to advance at the expense of the other, and information about more casualties in the ranks of both parties, the Syrian Observatory published on Sunday the 29th of October that the violent clashes renewed after the midnight of Saturday – Sunday, in areas in the north-eastern countryside of Hama, between the “Islamic State” organization against Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, in which the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the violent clashes concentrated near Sarha and other points in its vicinity following an attack carried out by members of the organization on the area using the advantage of the bad weather, and the heavy rain in the area yesterday after the midnight, where the clashes accompanied by exchange of targeting and shelling, which caused human losses in the ranks of the both parties, and Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham managed to repel the attack at this dawn, thus, the careful calmness has returned to the area since this dawn and until now.
These clashes come as a part of the efforts by the members of organization estimated by about 400 members, to re-hold their presence in Hama countryside, in which the members of the organization advanced towards the controlled areas of Tahrir Al-Sham on the 9th of October 2017, and managed to advance rapidly and in a surprising way and took the control of about 15 village and other residential communities and points in the north-eastern countryside of Hama, on the other hand, Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham is seeking to recover the points and residential communities remaining under the control of the organization in the area, in which Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham recovered during the past days, most of the villages and the residential communities which the organization advanced in.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has also documented during the period from the 9th of October 2017, the date of the entry of ISIS the controlled areas of Tahrir Al-Sham, until today the 29th of October 2017, the death of 300 members of the ranks of the both parties of who were killed in the military operations between the both parties in the north-eastern countryside, in which 214 members at least of ISIS including several commanders were killed, while more than 89 members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham including commanders were killed, and all of them were killed during the period mentioned above, in the clashes and exchange of selling and the explosions.
It is noteworthy that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 9th of October 2017, that the “Islamic State” organization crossed by vehicles with medium and heavy weapons and reached areas controlled by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham, where the organization started attacking areas controlled by Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham and managed to advance quickly and abruptly, and took control of about 15 villages, followed by a violent counterattack by Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham in which it regained to re-control about 5 villages, while Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham brought military reinforcements of members and vehicles, in order to continue the attack and recover the entire lost areas as well as arresting the organization’s members who carried out the attack, and information about casualties in the ranks of both parties as a result of these clashes, which were accompanied by exchange of shelling, also SOHR received information about capturing members of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham by the organized during its control of a village, and information about carrying out executions by the organization against prisoners of Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham, where the sources confirmed that the “Islamic State” Organization has reneged the agreement between it and between Hayyaat Tahrir al-Sham earlier, and that their families of children, women, young men and non-fighter men will be entered to the areas controlled by the factions, and that members of organization are prevented from entering, and any member or fighter of the organization who may enter will be either captured or killed.