After controlling 15 villages in Idlib ISIS clash with the regime forces inside Sinjar

Violent clashes are taking place between the regime forces backed by their allied militiamen of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities against ISIS terrorists in the town of Sinjar, the most important area controlled by the regime forces through their military operation, led by Suhail al-Hassan, the brigadier in the regime forces.

Since the beginning of the operation in Idlib on the 25th of December 2017, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the advancement of the organization, after it managed during the past 24 hours, to advance and control 15 villages in the countryside of Idlib and Hama, reaching more advancement towards the north, where it reached areas in the town of Sinjar. If the terrorists managed to control the town and two villages located in the east of Sinjar, the regime forces would be besieged in a circle between Sinjar and the air base of Abu Duhur.

With the advancement of ISIS and its control over the area, where the terrorists became in control of 63 villages in the northeastern countryside of Hama and the eastern part of Idlib countryside. The organization has become about 15 km away from the air base of Abu Dhuhur, which is the main target of the military operation of Idlib, and the clashes are accompanied with explosions and targeting between both parties in an attempt by the terrorists to achieve strategic advancement in the area and control Sinjar and more villages in the area.

The regime forces used heavy fire during their advancement, through escalating of ongoing shelling of Russian and regime warplanes and shelling of tanks, artillery and mortar shells and missile shells and missiles, believed to be ground to ground. The SOHR documented the death of at least 218 people, the death toll of members of the regime forces and the factions, who have been killed since Wednesday evening, the 10th of January, 2018.

It also rose to at least 103, the number of members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen, including 6 officers, including 3 colonels, one of them is close to Suhail Al-Hassan, and it rose to at least 115 fighters of the factions, who were killed in the same clashes. The death toll is expected to increase due to the presence of injured persons in serious conditions, and the factions managed to capture 35 members of the regime forces and their allied militiamen, in addition to tens of members of Turkestan Islamic Movement, who were also killed in the latest battles during the past days.

It should be noted that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 9th of October 2017, that the Islamic State terrorist group 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 terrorist group members who carried out the attack.

The 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 terrorist group 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. The members of terrorist group are prevented from entering, and any member or fighter of the organization who may enter will be either captured or killed.

Source: SHR