Syrian Civil War: News #5

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic state militants killed dozens of people execution style in attacks on government-held areas in Syria's city of Deir al-Zor on Saturday, a source and a monitoring said.

A source close to the Syrian government side said the Islamic State fighters killed at least 250 people, including pro-government fighters and their families when they attacked the neighborhoods of Begayliya and Ayash in the city.

He said some of the casualties were beheaded.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the violence in the country through a wide network of local sources, said the militants killed dozens. "We have 60 people confirmed killed, but the number is big. The details are hard to get so far but the deaths are in dozens," the Observatory's head Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.

The Observatory said earlier that at least 35 soldiers and pro-government fighters were killed in the attacks.

A Syrian source said the group "committed a massacre among the civilians."

He said the army repelled the attacks and killed a large number of the attackers.

"They sent six suicide bombers first and they tried to break into military positions but they failed."

The Observatory said that the hardline group fighters had infiltrated the northwestern side of the city and carried out several attacks.

Islamic State group is in control of most of the eastern province while the government is holding parts of the city including a military airport.

Deir al-Zor province links Islamic State's de facto capital in Raqqa with territory controlled by the group in Iraq.

Government-held areas in the city had been under siege by Islamic State fighters for more than a year and more than 200,000 people there are living in dire conditions lacking food and medicine.

The Syrian source said that the group has been trying to attack the city almost on daily basis and on Saturday it carried out several assaults."

Islamic state supporters on social media said the group had also captured an army weapons depot and seized tanks.

Reuters was unable to independently verify these reports.

The Observatory also said that unknown warplanes carried eight air strikes on the city of Raqqa killing at least 16 people and wounded 30 others.

Beirut (AFP) - At least 75 Syrian soldiers and pro-regime militiamen were killed Saturday in a multi-front attack by the Islamic State group on the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, a monitor said.

The fighting came as regime forces battled IS in the northern province of Aleppo, repelling a jihadist assault and killing at least 16 fighters from the group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said IS had advanced into the northern tip of Deir Ezzor city, in eastern Syria, and captured the suburb of Al-Baghaliyeh.

At least 60 regime forces were killed in Al-Baghaliyeh alone, most of them execution-style, the Britain-based monitor.

The advance puts IS in control of around 60 percent of the city, with the regime holding the rest, it added.

Syrian state news agency SANA said regime troops had repelled an IS attack on the area around Al-Baghaliyeh and inflicted "heavy losses" on the group.

Deir Ezzor is the capital of the province of the same name, an oil-rich region that borders Iraq and is mostly held by IS.

The regime has clung onto portions of the provincial capital and the adjacent military airport despite repeated IS attacks.

Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said heavy fighting was continuing on Saturday afternoon after the IS assault, which began with a suicide car bomb blast carried out by a member of the jihadist group.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, in which it said jihadists carried out several suicide bombings against regime forces and that the group was in control of Al-Baghaliyeh and other areas of Deir Ezzor.

The Observatory said Russian warplanes were carrying out heavy air strikes in support of regime forces as they sought to repel the jihadists.

Regime troops were locked in fierce clashes with IS in Aleppo province, with at least 16 jihadists killed after a failed attack on a government position near the town of Al-Bab, the monitor said.

State television also reported that regime forces had repelled an assault.

The Observatory said heavy fighting was ongoing Saturday in the area, with Russian war planes carrying out strikes in the region between the regime-held Kweyris air base and Al-Bab.

- Seven battlefronts -

The regime has advanced towards the town, an IS bastion, in recent days, and is now within 10 kilometres (six miles) of it, according to the Observatory.

That is the closest regime forces have come to Al-Bab since 2012.

The Britain-based monitor also said regime forces had taken a string of villages nearby.

Located some 30 kilometres south of the Turkish border, Al-Bab fell into rebel hands in July 2012, and IS jihadists captured it in late 2013.

The fighting in Al-Bab is just one of up to seven fronts on which regime forces are seeking to advance in Aleppo province, capitalising on a Russian air campaign that began on September 30.

The various battles are intended in part to cut rebel supply lines into Aleppo city, the provincial capital and Syria's second city.

Aleppo itself is divided and regime forces are now hoping to effectively encircle the opposition-held east.

In addition to cutting rebel access to eastern Aleppo city, the regime is hoping to sever areas controlled by IS in the province from its territory in neighbouring Raqa, Abdel Rahman said.

Raqa, the self-declared capital of IS, has come under frequent air strikes by the US-led coalition, the Syrian air force and Russian warplanes that began an air campaign in Syria in late September.

On Saturday at least 16 people, including civilians, were killed in air strikes and 30 others were wounded, said Abdel Rahman.

He said eight strikes hit the city and its surroundings but did not specify who carried them out.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, in comments reported Saturday, said some 600 Britons have been stopped from going to Syria to join IS and other jihadist groups.

Hammond said these interceptions as well as air strikes were placing extra strain on IS in its Raqa headquarters.

"There is evidence (IS) is finding it difficult to recruit to the brigades in Raqa because of the high attrition rate of foreign fighters," he said, according to The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph newspapers.

Aldin_Aba wrote:First hand account says that situation in Deir Ezzor is dire, most of the attacks were repulsed, situation in Al-Baghaliyeh area is still ongoing. Some scattered units of ISIS around. Isis did managed to enter Al-Baghaliyeh area and committed a massacre on Syrian army and National Defence Forces families, soldiers there are furious and want revenge. Guy that is stationed at the airport said that ISIS use suicide bombers and tunnel bombs, his friend died he heard it over the radio. Basically this ISIS offensive was fierce but in the end failed also report that Syiran army suffered 75 casualties is false.

Aldin_Aba wrote:Safe area around Salma continues to expand. Syrian forces retaken Kurt Al-Tahtani & Fawqani, Jabal Al-Taroo', Al-Ared Al-Hamra, Ketf Al-Khani. Now frontline is nice strait line all the way to Fawru.

Ivan Sidorenko ‏@IvanSidorenko1  2h2 hours ago
#Syria #Latakia #Latakia 8 MINUTE Video by @AboZain6 Eyad Showing the Battle to Liberate #Salma #SAA #SyrianArmy

Erk wrote:

Aldin_Aba wrote:Safe area around Salma continues to expand. Syrian forces retaken Kurt Al-Tahtani & Fawqani, Jabal Al-Taroo', Al-Ared Al-Hamra, Ketf Al-Khani. Now frontline is nice strait line all the way to Fawru.

Is Salma just a hill? I don't see buildings in the photo.

KiloGolf wrote:

Ivan Sidorenko ‏@IvanSidorenko1  2h2 hours ago
#Syria #Latakia #Latakia 8 MINUTE Video by @AboZain6 Eyad Showing the Battle to Liberate #Salma #SAA #SyrianArmy

Holly smokes, these SAA folk looks nothing to what we've seen so far

KiloGolf wrote:

Aldin_Aba wrote:First hand account says that situation in Deir Ezzor is dire, most of the attacks were repulsed, situation in Al-Baghaliyeh area is still ongoing. Some scattered units of ISIS around. Isis did managed to enter Al-Baghaliyeh area and committed a massacre on Syrian army and National Defence Forces families, soldiers there are furious and want revenge. Guy that is stationed at the airport said that ISIS use suicide bombers and tunnel bombs, his friend died he heard it over the radio. Basically this ISIS offensive was fierce but in the end failed also report that Syiran army suffered 75 casualties is false.

I'm lead to believe that yesterday's humanitarian airdrop by Il-76MD (there's one with with painted SyArabRep flag but RA registration) was something more than that.. Good intel I'd say, dropping needed supplies on Deir Ezzor at the right time. Basically IS is playing its last good cards and keep loosing.

short_fuze wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

Ivan Sidorenko ‏@IvanSidorenko1  2h2 hours ago
#Syria #Latakia #Latakia 8 MINUTE Video by @AboZain6 Eyad Showing the Battle to Liberate #Salma #SAA #SyrianArmy

Holly smokes, these SAA folk looks nothing to what we've seen so far

Have they been away somewhere quiet, far away from the front, for some serious and intensive training?

Aldin_Aba wrote:Latest from DeirEzzor is that ISIS attacking on 7 fronts same time, they also captured Ayyash warehouses. From guy who have friend fighting at airport front.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.382105&lon=40.046711&z=16&m=b

KiloGolf wrote:

Aldin_Aba wrote:Latest from DeirEzzor is that ISIS attacking on 7 fronts same time, they also captured Ayyash warehouses. From guy who have friend fighting at airport front.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.382105&lon=40.046711&z=16&m=b

Is Ayyash confirmed? (i.e. photos)
I've been seeing this rumor on twitter since many hours now, with no confirmation.

Aldin_Aba wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

Aldin_Aba wrote:Latest from DeirEzzor is that ISIS attacking on 7 fronts same time, they also captured Ayyash warehouses. From guy who have friend fighting at airport front.
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.382105&lon=40.046711&z=16&m=b

Is Ayyash confirmed? (i.e. photos)
I've been seeing this rumor on twitter since many hours now, with no confirmation.

No ISIS infiltrated some lines but got beaten back, SAA is pulling dead bodies. I will have pics soon if everything is ok there. Same as in most area they announced today. All of them beaten back only that one remain fluid.

Ivan Sidorenko ‏@IvanSidorenko1  26m26 minutes ago
#Syria #Latakia Photos from Tony Obeid a Photographer & Head of department of Imaging/Film Club of #Tartus #Tartous

#Syria #Latakia #Lattakia Militants Mourning the Death of Saif al Islam Battalion Commander @ #Jabal_Turkmen

#Syria #DeirEzZor Fadel Hammad Reporter on the ground says #SAA Restores several points @ #Baghiliyah & #Ayash

PapaDragon wrote:

ALSO:

https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/688467796079017984

#Syria #DeirEzZor Fadel Hammad Reporter on the ground says #SAA Restores several points @ #Baghiliyah & #Ayash

Aldin_Aba wrote:All attacks on positions of Republican Guards successfully repelled.
ISIS suffered heavy losses in Tharda Mountain area http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.241939&lon=40.129108&z=14&m=b

KiloGolf wrote:

PapaDragon wrote:

ALSO:

https://twitter.com/IvanSidorenko1/status/688467796079017984

#Syria #DeirEzZor Fadel Hammad Reporter on the ground says #SAA Restores several points @ #Baghiliyah & #Ayash

Aldin_Aba wrote:All attacks on positions of Republican Guards successfully repelled.
ISIS suffered heavy losses in Tharda Mountain area http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=35.241939&lon=40.129108&z=14&m=b

That's what I'm talking about. SAA is proving to be quite resilient at this stage, counter-attacking, pressing and re-gaining ground. Compare this to how they lost Tabaqa airbase or Palmyra, huge difference. That's another attribute of the Russian intervention. I wonder how many, if any, of ex-Russian T-72BA found their way to Deir Ezzor pocket?

Aldin_Aba wrote:Dont think any of those will be there soon. Situation around Palmyra front which is essential to Deir Ezzor deblockade is going nowhere. Situation is messed up. SAA unable to advance even with Russian CAS.

KiloGolf wrote:

short_fuze wrote:

KiloGolf wrote:

Ivan Sidorenko ‏@IvanSidorenko1  2h2 hours ago
#Syria #Latakia #Latakia 8 MINUTE Video by @AboZain6 Eyad Showing the Battle to Liberate #Salma #SAA #SyrianArmy

Holly smokes, these SAA folk looks nothing to what we've seen so far

Have they been away somewhere quiet, far away from the front, for some serious and intensive training?

They've got some "politeness" instituted in them now. Still there is room for improvement. By the time the Latakia campaign is finished SAA will have a brigade level formation (or larger ) with high quality personnel, to use elsewhere.

KiloGolf wrote:

Aldin_Aba wrote:Dont think any of those will be there soon. Situation around Palmyra front which is essential to Deir Ezzor deblockade is going nowhere. Situation is messed up. SAA unable to advance even with Russian CAS.

You are correct. Palmyra and Qaratain have been two areas were SAA keeps failing to advance. Yet I expect this to be a personnel issue, i.e. lack of it. Somewhere in Syria there must be 3-4 of battalions of SAA under intensive "polite" training. We've seen how that made a difference in Latakia, where Salma could not be taken back for many months.