Syria in Past 24 Hours: Over 70 Civilians Killed, Injured in US Airstrikes

Raqqa

Field sources said that the US warplanes bombed several regions in Raqqa city in the last 24 hours, killing 29 civilians, including nine women and 14 children and wounding several more.

The fighter jets, meantime, targeted the women’s hospital in the town of al-Mayadeen in Southeastern Deir Ezzur and in al-Romayleh neighborhood in the Northern part of Deir Ezzur city, killing two children and wounding 40 more, the source said, adding that the death toll is on rise due to the critical conditions of the injured.

Also on Wednesday, the Syrian Army troops stormed ISIL’s defense lines in the Southeastern part of Raqqa province on Wednesday and managed to deploy very close to the town of Ma’adan after taking control over three more villages.

The army men engaged in tough battle with ISIL and drove them out of the villages of al-Namiseh, al-Jaber and al-Khamiseh, deploying 2km away from Ma’adan, the last stronghold of ISIL terrorists in the Southeastern part of Raqqa province and a key entrance to the Northwestern part of Deir Ezzur province.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army soldiers continued military operations South-East of Raqqa province towards Deir Ezzur, extending the range of their advances and tightening the noose on ISIL in the town of Ma’adan.

The army men stormed the defense lines of ISIL and drove them out of several villages, farms and residential units West of Ma’adan, laying siege on the town from the Southern and Western directions.

Field sources reported that fierce clashes are underway between the army men and the ISIL in near the town of Ma’adan, adding that the Syrian and Russian fighter jets and the army’s artillery and missile units have been also targeting terrorists’ positions in the region.

The sources further said that a tough battle in also underway between the army soldiers and ISIL along the Southern bank of the Euphrates River in Southeastern Raqqa.

The sources said that the army has gained military control over Ma’adan and will soon purge the region of terrorists.

Deir Ezzur

The Syrian Army troops stormed ISIL’s positions in Deir Ezzur’s neighborhoods and managed to destroy two command centers on Wednesday.

The army men, tipped off by intelligence agents, struck ISIL’s defense lines in al-Khasarat neighborhood and destroyed two command centers, killing a large number of terrorists in the centers.

In the meantime, the army troops, backed up by the country’s Air Force, fended off ISIL’s offensive in the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur, inflicting major losses on the terrorists.

The army men engaged in fierce clashes with ISIL in Panorama base in the Southern outskirts of Deir Ezzur and repelled their attack.

Meanwhile, the army’s artillery and missile units and fighter jets targeted ISIL’s positions and supply lines in farms near Panorama, Wadi (desert) al-Thardah and in surrounding of Deir Ezzur base.

ISIL suffered heavy casualties and its military hardware sustained major damage in the failed attacks.

The army later forced the ISIL to pull back the remaining pockets of its militants from the region.

Also on Wednesday, a notorious ISIL commander and emir of the terrorist group’s police in a key town in Eastern Deir Ezzur escaped after a large number of people in different parts of the province started to attack the terrorist group’s centers, local sources said.

The sources said that top commander of ISIL’s Islamic police in the town of al-Thowar along with a number of terrorists fled the town after eruption of a new wave of  popular uprising in the Eastern province.

They went on to say that a number of youth in the town of al-Mayadeen in Southeastern Deir Ezzur set fire at a bus of ISIL terrorists in front of the power company.

In the meantime, resident of the village of Hatleh attacked the command center of ISIL’s Islamic police near the fruit market and killed one of the terrorists.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian Army troops repelled ISIL’s large-scale offensive on several positions on pro-government forces in the depth of Badiyeh (desert) near the administrative border between Homs and Deir Ezzur provinces.

The army men engaged in a tough battle with ISIL after the terrorists attacked the strongholds of the government forces in Humeimeh region in Eastern Homs.

Meantime, a military source reported that the ISIL used several suicide attackers and five bomb-laden vehicles in the attacks, but the army soldiers fended off terrorists’ assaults and inflicted a number of casualties on them.

The source added that the army men seized 11 vehicles, including three military ones and destroyed several more.

The remaining pockets of ISIL left behind their ammunition and fled the scene.

Homs

The Syrian Army has fortified its positions in the newly-liberated regions near the town of al-Sukhnah in Eastern Homs, a military source said on Wednesday, adding that the army has also forwarded more troops and military equipment to the region to continue the operation to liberate Deir Ezzur from ISIL’s occupation.

The source said that the army soldiers have fortified their positions 2km East of al-Sukhnah and 1km North of the newly-liberated town towards the village of al-Tayebah.

The source further said that a large number of fresh soldiers and a large volume of military hardware have been sent by the army to al-Sukhnah to be used in the pro-government forces’ upcoming operation from the Eastern part of al-Sukhnah towards the villages of al-Koum and al-Tayebah.

According to field reports, clashes between the army men and ISIL terrorists are still underway in al-Sukhnah region, while the Russian Air Force has been targeting ISIL’s positions Northeast of al-Sukhnah and in the villages of al-Koum and al-Tayebah, inflicting major losses on the militants.

Damascus

The Syrian Army troops continued their operations against the Al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at or the Levant Liberation Board) in Eastern Ghouta on Wednesday and imposed control over more lands in the depth of Ein Terma region.

The army units engaged in fierce clashes with Al-Nusra in Ein Terma and managed to drive terrorists out of the Central part and several tall buildings in Ein Terma as well as several more buildings along the road connecting the regions of Zmelka and Jobar.

Also, the army men pushed terrorists back from several buildings in al-Manasher square and Jaha area in Jobar.

In the meantime, the army’s missile unis and aircraft pounded the Al-Nusra positions across the neighborhoods in Jobar and Ein Terma.

Clashes among rival terrorist groups have intensified following the Syrian Army troops’ advances in Ein Terma and Jobar regions in Eastern Damascus, a well-informed source said Wednesday.

The source said that Faylaq al-Rahman stormed the positions of Ahrar al-Sham in Eastern Ghouta and imposed control over the village of Modira.

Also, Faylaq al-Rahman drove Ahrar al-Sham fighters out of the town of Arbin and attacked more positions of Ahrar in the towns of Kafr Batna and Saqba.

In the meantime, Faylaq al-Rahman stormed the positions of Al-Nusra Front in the towns of Kafr Batna and pushed them away from the town.

Faylaq al-Rahman has, in a statement, denied any agreement with Jeish al-Islam over driving the Al-Nusra out of Eastern Ghouta, and meantime called on Jeish al-Islam to halt attacking its positions.

Faylaq also announced in the statement that they drove Al-Nusra Front out of al-Ash’ari region.

Meanwhile, Faylaq al-Rahman said in the statement that Jeish al-Islam violated the agreement and attacked Faylaq’s positions in al-Asha’ari region, Beit Sowa and al-Aftaris.

Hama

The Syrian and Russian fighter jets carried out a fresh round of combat flights over ISIL’s movements and position in Eastern Hama on Wednesday, killing and wounding a number of terrorists and destroying their military hardware in large scale.

The warplanes bombed ISIL’s movements and strongholds East of Aqarib region heavily, killing or wounding tens of terrorists and destroying their military vehicles.

In the meantime, the army’s artillery and missile units targeted ISIL’s defense lines in Aqarib, killing several terrorists.

Also, the army men engaged in fierce clashes with Al-Nusra Front terrorists that tried to storm the pro-government forces’ positions West of the town of al-Salamiyah from the direction of al-Satahiyat and Eidoun, and repelled the terrorists’ attacks.

The Al-Nusra left behind a number of dead and injured members and retreated from the battle field.

Field sources reported that five bomb-laden drones of Al-Nusra were targeted and downed by the army men near Jourin in Northwestern Hama.

Lattakia

A notorious field commander of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was killed in clashes with Faylaq al-Sham in Northeastern Lattakia on Wednesday.

The FSA announced in a statement that Faylaq al-Sham militants stormed the positions of “al-Horiyeh Brigade-Free Army” in Jabal al-Akrad (mount Kurds) in Northeastern Lattakia, Commander of Coastal Units of al-Horieh Brigade Ahmad Jasem.

In the meantime, Faylaq al-Sham said in a statement that it was the al-Horiyeh Brigade that began the clashes and attacked its positions in the village of Tal al-Khazar in Jabal al-Akrad.

The developments came after al-Horiyeh handed over a position to Faylaq al-Rahman.