Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses. Share the link of this article with your facebook friends

 

26 Syrians Killed in One Day, 1700 Bodies in Al-Riqqa Mass Grave, Israeli Air Strikes Continue

April 14, 2019 

Editor's Note:

The following news stories are just examples of the daily horrors of war in Syria. Readers can find more detailed daily news stories at the sources below as well as many other sources in the internet. 

Bodies retrieved from the Syrian city of Al-Raqqa, February 2019

 

The following are news stories from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) website (http://www.syriahr.com/en/):

***

26 were killed on April 13, 2019 including 20 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them and 6 other people

SOHR, 14/04/2019

In Aleppo Province, a fighter of Jaysh Osud al-Sharqiyyah was killed by an IED explosion in a car belongs to the Turkey-loyal factions of “Euphrates Shield” in Qabasin town in the eastern countryside of Aleppo.

In Hama province, a fighter of the factions was killed in Lahaya village in the northern countryside of Hama, after being targeted by guided missile by the regime forces on the outskirts of the village.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned from intersected sources that the Syria Democratic supported by the International Coalition Forces with a helicopter cover, they carried out dawn of today a raid against a house in Takihi village  in the countryside of al-Busayrah town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor following an airdrop operation in the area, where clashes took place between the raiders and several people at the home including Iraqis, where two Syrian national brothers were killed in addition to 3 people of Iraqi nationality including a woman.

And 19 members of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them were injured in shelling and clashes against the “Islamic State” Organization and the factions.

On the Syrian territory between th April 2018 and April 2019:

Israel targets Iran and its allies the regime and Hezbollah leaving more than 232 casualties and tens of injuries

SOHR, 13/04/2019

The Israeli escalation has surpassed a complete year of escalation since early April 2018 until the 13th of April 2019, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights continue to monitor the Israeli escalation whether by missile strikes or air raids, which targeted Iranian and other sites belong to militias operating under its command and sites of the Lebanese Hezbollah, and the last targeting of these strikes was for the accounting school in Masyaf city, the middle-range missiles development center in al-Zawi village, and Tala’ee camp in Sheikh Ghadban village in the countryside of Masyaf of the Iranian Forces and the Syrian regime forces, where the Israeli strikes targeted the location of al-Zawi area on the 23rd of July 2018.

The last strikes before that targeted Aleppo international airport and the area that leads to the industrial city, the vicinity of Damascus International airport, weapons depots and ammunition in Baniyas suburbs, Masyaf Mountains in the Syrian coast, the western countryside of Hama, suburbs of the capital Damascus, and “Itm’enan Support Center” of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard near al-Neirab airbase at the eastern outskirts of Aleppo city, al-Mazzeh airbase, al-Harri area in the countryside of Deir Ezzor, areas in the northern and middle countryside of Quneitra, al-Dabaa Airbase in the southwestern countryside of Homs, campus and the vicinity of the T4 airbase in the eastern sector of Homs countryside, the 47th Brigade and Salhab area in the western countryside of Hama, and locations near the towns of Hodr, Khan Arnabah, and al-Baath city in Quneitra countryside, al-Kiswah area in Rif Dimashq, the area of al-Dumayr military airport, the Triangle of Daraa – Al-Quneitra – al-Suwaidaa of Rif Dimashq, areas of Neirab airbase and Aleppo International Airport, and 2 explosions also hit the military airport of Hama and a location of the Iranian forces in the southern countryside of Aleppo.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored large number of casualties during these strikes, where these heavy strikes caused significant casualties in the ranks of the Iranian forces and the militias operating under its command, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented in about a year of Israeli escalation the killing of more than 146 of the Iranian Forces and their loyal and affiliated forces, as a result of Israeli missile and aerial strikes, which targeted their sites, warehouses, and missiles in several areas in the northern and central of Syria and in the southern Syrian and the Desert since early April 2018, and 28 members at least of the regime forces and militiamen loyal to them of Syrian nationality have been killed as a result of explosions in ammunition and fuel depots at Hama airbase west of Hama city, also, news were published about tens of Israeli media strikes against locations of the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them and the Lebanese Hezbollah, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of about 58 members of the regime forces and the militiamen loyal to them including officers since April 2018.

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published days ago that In conjunction with local, regional and international talk about the stay or withdrawal of Iranian Forces and their loyal and affiliated armed militias, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights -so far- has not monitored any withdrawals by the Iranian military forces, the Iraqi, Afghan and Asian militias, and, the Lebanese Hezbollah from their military positions on the Syrian territory, where the above-mentioned forces remain in their military positions which are spread in most of the Syrian areas, and these sites are distributed between al-Kiswah area and the southwest of Rif Dimashq, the southern countryside of Aleppo, the surroundings the towns of Nubl and Zahra in the northern countryside of Aleppo, the eastern countryside of Idlib, the northern and southern countryside of Hama and Sahl al-Ghab in the northwestern countryside of Hama, al-Qalamoun, Zabadani plain, southwestern countryside of Homs, al-Bokamal, and the Deserts of Homs and Deir Ezzor.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from reliable sources about the numbers of Iranian Forces and their loyal militias of Lebanese, Iraqi, Afghan, Iranian and Asian nationalities, where the number is estimated to be more than 32000 non-Syrian fighters.

while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has documented the killing of thousands of them, since the start of the Syrian revolution in March 2011 until the 13th of April 2019, where at least 8109 members of the non-Syrians mostly from the Shia sect who fight under the banner of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and their militias of Afghans, Iraqis and Asians, in addition to 1677 at least members of the Lebanese Hezbollah.

***

Accusations for the International Coalition of being involved in the mass grave case which includes 1700 bodies in al-Raqqah city

The Syrian Observatory calls on the Commission of Inquiry to identify these bodies and the other graves

SOHR, 12/04/2019

The fallout of the discovery of the mass grave -which includes the remnants of about 1700 bodies of people executed by the “Islamic State” Organization earlier in al-Raqqah city-, still raising questions among the civil circles, along with many question marks, why the discovery of the graves was this much late, and the large number of prisoners who were killed earlier, are they already prisoners killed by the organization? Where the accusations are now pointing at the International Coalition that a large number of the 1700 people were not prisoners, they were civilians killed by warplanes of the Coalition which threw the accusations on the “Islamic State” Organization claiming that they were prisoners, especially in the light of the many massacres committed by the International Coalition warplanes, particularly in al-Raqqah city.

Where are the bodies? Where are the graves? where they were buried?…

We at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights demand the forming of the commission of Inquiry to uncover the mass graves in al-Raqqah, through analysis and identifying the corpses, particularly the last massacre which was recently discovered. The 1700 people; were they prisoners of the Organization, or civilians who were living there during the military operations of the Coalition and SDF against al-Raqqah?

The Syrian Observatory published yesterday that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several reliable sources about the mysteries of the military and security operations against the “Islamic State” Organization in the east Euphrates area, and the Syrian Observatory was informed that the Syria Democratic Forces had recently arrested one of the most dangerous ISIS member who is wanted for US Forces and the International Coalition, his nationality is European of a Moroccan origin, where he was arrested along with 17 others who were trying to flee outside the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas, the sources added that the US Forces gave a reward of $180,000 US dollars to the SDF after handing over the dangerous wanted to the Americans, where he was involved in planning for the attacks on Brussels and Paris which claimed tens of lives, and in the same context, trusted sources informed the Syrian Observatory that the “Islamic State” Organization executed more than 1700 prisoners who it used to control al-Raqqah east of Syria, and the sources added to the Syrian Observatory that the 1700 prisoners who were executed include 500 Kurdish prisoners, of who were abducted and arrested by the Organization in al-Raqqah, Manbij, Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), and other areas that used to be under its control in that period east of Euphrates area, and that after they were executed their bodies were buried in mass graves in al-Raqqah city.

The Syrian Observatory published on the 4th of April 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights obtained information from several reliable sources, that the presence of the remaining members of the “Islamic State” Organization has ended completely, after the surrender of who remained of them in tunnels and caves of Baghuz area on the east bank of Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, after 12 days of announcing the official victory by the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces over the Organization, on the 23rd of March 2019, and the reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that all the remaining members in tunnels and caves of Baghuz have surrendered to the Syria Democratic Forces, who continuously had been sweeping the area over the past few days and pressed the rest of them to surrender, in conjunction with raids carried out by the International Coalition warplanes targeting the same area which killed tens of members, while the questions increased about the fate of thousands of people abducted by the Organization, and whether they were executed or transferred to other areas, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the continuation of fear and resentment among families of the abductees, due to this ambiguity that surrounds the fate of their relatives, and due to not providing clear answers about the fate of their children, where the Syrian Observatory monitored that the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces continue to not to provide clear answers about the fate of the kidnapped people by members of the Organization, including the father Paolo Dall’Oglio, the Bishops Yohanna Ebrahim and Polos Yaziji, in addition to Abdullah al-Khalil, a British journalist, and other journalists, as well as hundreds of abducted people from Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), on whether members and leaders of the Organization who surrendered to the Coalition; have made clear confessions about their fate and the fate of thousands of other abductees, after recent assertions by those who have gotten out of the “Islamic State” organization’s-controlled areas that tens of members and leaders of the “Islamic State” Organization have confirmed that they carried out individual and mass executions against hundreds of prisoners, abductees, and detainees who were taken from the battlefronts or from the areas which were attacked by the Organization, including Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) and other areas, where this confirmation ignites discontent among the families and their fears about the fate of their relatives abducted by the Organization.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published that the fear and resentment increase among families of hundreds of people abducted by the “Islamic State” Organization; with the final announcement of the elimination of the “Islamic State” Organization completely, and fully controlling its areas which were under its control east of Euphrates by the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition, after 195 days of military operations that began on the 10th of September 2018, until the date of announcing the victory on the “Islamic State” Organization on the 23rd of March 2019, where tens of families of abducted people from areas continue to contact the Syrian Observatory, and through the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights they demand that the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces reveal the fate of their children and relatives who the Organization had, as to whether they were killed or transferred to unknown areas by the Organization which is still exists on Syrian territory in west of Euphrates area within the Syrian Desert area, in the enclave of Abu Rjameen area, which extends to the inside of the administrative borders of Deir Ezzor province which is an area of about 4000 km², In addition to its activities in the Syrian Desert in al-Sokhna Desert and north of al-Suwaidaa province, and these fears and demands for investigation come to uncover the crimes of the Organization against their relatives, as the Syrian Observatory is documenting large casualties due to explosion of mines, detonating IEDs, bombardment by the International Coalition, the ground shelling , in addition to clashes as well as tens of people who died as a result of their poor health.

Where the Syrian  Observatory  documented the death of 634 civilian people including 209 children and 157 citizen women, they were killed since the 10th of December 2018, also it rose to 753, the number of fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces who have been killed since the 10th of November 2018, also it rose to about 1600, the number of fighters and leaders of the “Islamic State” Organization who were killed in the shelling, clashes, bombings, and raids, also the “Islamic State” Organization had executed more than 720 detainees, of who it arrested on various charges including security members and members of the Organization who tried to break away of it and escape its controlled areas, and the executions were carried out inside headquarters and detention centers of the Organization, and within its controlled areas, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the death of at least 159 children since the beginning of December 2018 until today the 23rd of March 2019.

Also, since the beginning of December 2018 until today: 63250 people including more than 8550 ISIS members mostly Iraqis, have gotten out of Baghuz farms and ISIS enclave before being besieged within this area, including more than 61250 people have gotten out the Organization’s enclave towards the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas, and since the 19th of December 2018, the date of decision to withdraw the US Forces from Syria and east of Euphrates; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the exit of more than 62100 people towards the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published this morning that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that, since the International Coalition and the Syria Democratic Forces have imposed their control over the entire Baghuz farms in the eastern sector of Deir Ezzor countryside in the past few days, and being able to reach the east bank of Euphrates River, hundreds of corpses of members of the “Islamic State” Organization’s women and children are still in Baghuz farms, in addition to bodies of ISIS members, also the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims to reveal about 230 bodies of the Organization’s families of children and women in addition to the tens of corpses of ISIS members, who were killed by the International Coalition in a massacre in Baghuz farms, in one of the biggest massacres carried out by the Coalition since its participation in the military operations on the Syrian territory, also the Syrian Observatory calls for getting them out if they have not been gotten out earlier under the cover of darkness, also it is still unknown; the fate of the first-tier leaders of the “Islamic State” Organization, who were holed up in a cave in Baghuz farms during the hours of the last night.

***

The following are news stories from the US Department of Defense website (http://www.defense.gov/News) .

and US Centcom Press releases (http://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/):

***

CJTF-OIR Strike Summary March 24 – April 6, 2019

Release No: 19-022 April 10, 2019  

April 10, 2019 Release # 20190410-01

SOUTHWEST ASIA –

Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continue to target and pursue the enduring defeat of Daesh (ISIS).

Strike Summary

Between March 24 - April 6, 2019, CJTF-OIR conducted 52 strikes consisting of 98 engagements against Daesh targets in Syria and Iraq.

In Syria, CJTF-OIR conducted 29 strikes consisting of 53 engagements, engaged 28 Daesh tactical units, and destroyed 72 vehicles, 17 fighting positions, 15 supply routes, and three vehicle borne improvised explosive devices.

In Iraq, CJTF-OIR conducted 23 strikes consisting of 45 engagements, engaged three Daesh tactical units, and destroyed seven tunnels, four supply routes, two buildings, two caves, one command and control center, and one compound.

Between March 24 - April 6, 2019, CJTF-OIR detected 67 strikes from other actors that crossed the Euphrates River Valley.

***

Share the link of this article with your facebook friends