Syrian Democratic Forces achieve advance in Raqqa

Syrian government forces seized full control of the last major town in Homs province held by Islamic State, Syrian state media reported on Saturday, as the army and its allies press a multi-pronged advance into eastern areas held by the jihadist group. Syrian state media cited a military source saying Islamic State militants had been killed and their weapons destroyed at the town of al-Sukhna, some 50 km (30 miles) northeast of the ancient city of Palmyra.

The town is also located some 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial boundary of Deir al-Zor province, Islamic State’s last major foothold in Syria and a major target for the Syrian government. The jihadists have lost swathes of Syrian territory to separate campaigns being waged by government forces backed by Russia and Iran, and by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic (SDF) Forces, which is dominated by the Kurdish YPG militia. The SDF is currently focused on capturing Raqqa city from Islamic State.

Syrian government forces advancing from the west have recently crossed into Deir al-Zor province from southern areas of Raqqa province. Islamic State controls nearly all of Deir al-Zor province, which is bordered to the east by Iraq. The Syrian government still controls a pocket of territory in Deir al-Zor city, and a nearby military base.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Friday linked up the Eastern and Southern axis of Raqqa city after heavy fighting with ISIS militants. “After long and ferocious battles the fighters and female fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces in the center of Raqqa could connect the eastern and southern front in the city of Raqqa with each other and cut the communication lines of Daesh [ISIS] mercenaries and tighten the noose on the mercenaries inside the key city,” the SDF media centre said.

In the meantime, the US-led coalition spokesperson Colonel Ryan Dillon confirmed that the SDF continues to advance in Raqqa–the ISIS de facto capital, despite the use of IEDs and suicide attacks by ISIS extremists. “Despite these fierce and suicidal tactics [of ISIS], the SDF continues to progress,” Dillon said.

“They’re advancing from three sides: from the east, the west, and south of the Euphrates River,” he concluded. On Thursday, the Kurdish-led SDF troops destroyed an ISIS factory for mortars and mines in the al-Bayatra neighbourhood of Raqqa, killing 29 ISIS fighters.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces inflicted the mercenaries [ISIS] heavy losses of lives and equipment, destroying the main plant of mine manufacturing in al-Bayatra neighborhood, 29 mercenaries were killed during the clashes,” the SDF media centre reported. The SDF has also rescued hundreds of civilians after suffering in ISIS-held areas.

Areas in the outskirts of Ein Tarma town were shelled by the regime forces; coincide with shelling on areas in the neighborhood of Jobar, where the regime forces shelled the two areas by ten missiles believed to be land-to-land, thus, the number of missiles that targeted the areas on Friday the 11th of August, increased to 50 missiles at least.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published few hours ago that within the ongoing targeting on the Eastern Ghouta, the regime forces and their allied militiamen continue their targeting on areas in the Eastern Ghouta and the east of the capital, where they targeted with 2 shells areas in Douma city, causing material damage.

A young man from Sahl Al-Ghab in the north-western countryside of Hama, was killed after being shot by the Turkish border guards while he was trying to cross the borderline with the Sanjak of Alexandretta. Turkish Jandarma continued to target the place where the body was, without allowing the civil defense teams or citizens to approach the body’s location, SOHR also documented yesterday the 9th of August 2017, that a young man from the city of Homs.

Explosions were heard in the western outskirts of Aleppo, caused by the fall of shells on areas in the neighborhood of Jam’eyyat Al-Zahraa, without information about casualties, the outskirts of the west of Aleppo witnessed today intensive shelling by the regime forces, accompanied by clashes between the forces of the regime and gunmen loyal to them on one hand, and the Islamic and rebel factions on the other, an explosion was also heard in the outskirts of the city of Aleppo, caused by exploding an explosive device in the industrial area of Al-Arqoub, and no information about casualties was reported.