Iraq News Now

Completing the 106th consecutive month of military operations against the “Islamic State” in Syria, the International Coalition continues sending military reinforcement to SDF-held areas, carrying out raids, arrests and various security campaigns in several areas controlled by SDF. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in turn, tracked and monitored all operations and movement of the International Coalition during the past month.

 

In the 106th month of International Coalition operations in Syria, 250 trucks and vehicles affiliated to the Coalition, carrying military and logistical supplies, crossed into Syria from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in six batches on the 23rd and 24th June and the 11th, 16th, 19th and 21st of July. The trucks headed to the Coalition’s military bases in Al-Hasakah and Deir Ezzor in north-east Syria region. Here are further details:

 

• June 23: International Coalition Forces brought in a military reinforcement convoy towards their bases in Al-Shadady in southern Al-Hasakah countryside. The convoy comprised 20 trucks carrying closed boxes, logistical materials and cement blocks. The convoy entered Syria through Al-Waleed crossing which separates areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration from Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

 

• June 24: SOHR sources reported that International Coalition Forces brought in a new convoy of 20 trucks carrying military equipment to Syria. The convoy entered Syria through Al-Waleed crossing.

 

• July 11: SOHR sources reported that International Coalition Forces brought in a convoy of 60 trucks carrying fuel and logistical and military equipment, in addition to another military convoy of 40 trucks carrying military vehicles and weapons entered Syria through Al-Waleed crossing from Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Similarly, a convoy of 100 trucks left Syria through Al-Waleed crossing towards Kurdistan Region of Iraq, after unloading its load in the military bases.

 

• July 16: The International Coalition forces brought military reinforcements comprising artillery, five tanks, vehicles, personnel carriers and military equipment from Al-Shadady base to its base in Koniko gas field in Deir Ezzor countryside.

 

• July 19: The International Coalition forces brought new military reinforcements to areas in north eastern of Syria through Al-Walid crossing on borders with Kurdsitan-Iraq region, where the reinforcements comprise 30 trucks carrying logistic equipment, fuel tanks and sealed boxes, and headed towards International Coalition base in Al-Hasakah countryside.

 

• July 21: “International Coalition” forces brought new military convoy to the Syrian territory through Al-Waleed crossing coming from Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The convoy comprised of 20 cargo vehicles carrying logistic materials, closed boxes and cement blocks, where it headed towards the bases of the “International Coalition” in Al-Hasakah countryside.

 

 

In the past month, SOHR activists also documented the participation of the International Coalition in five joint security operations with SDF, namely raids and airdrops, arresting six members of ISIS cells and killing two.

 

In the same context, the US Central Command announced the death of an ISIS commander called “Osama Al-Mohajer” in an airstrike by a drone belonging to the International Coalition on July 7 on the road between Al-Bab city and Baza’a town in east Aleppo countryside within “Euphrates Shield” area.

 

The US Central Command stated that ISIS was posing a threat to the region and that US forces operations against ISIS would continue alongside their partners in Iraq and Syria to completely eliminate the organisation.

 

 

In the past month, International Coalition Forces conducted four rounds of military drills in their bases, one round with the participation of the “Free Syria Army” in Al-Tanaf area and the rest with the participation of SDF in Deir Ezzor and Al-Hasakah countryside. Here are further details:

 

• July 4: Faction of “Free Syria Army” and “International Coalition Forces” finished joint military exercises, within the 55 kilometre de-confliction zone near the border triangle of Syria-Iraq-Jordan, where the military exercises continued for days and included the entire area. These joint military exercises aim to raise combat readiness of “Free Syria Army” to ensure the protection and security of the region.

 

• July 4: Explosions were heard in the vicinity of Al-Omar oil field eastern of Deir Ezzor, where International Coalition forces are stationed, due to military exercises.

 

• July 16: Loud explosions were heard near the US base in Al-Shadady base southern of Al-Hasakah due to military exercises with live ammunition and heavy artillery by the International Coalition, to raise the readability of combat and improve the skill of the members.

 

• July 21: Loud explosions were heard in Al-Shadady City as a result of military exercises with live ammunition by the International Coalition forces and SDF in the base of International Coalition in Al-Shadady City southern of Al-Hasakah, to raise the combat readability in light of the latest events in the region and the military escalation between Iranian militias and International Coalition forces in areas of north eastern of Syria.

 

 

Moreover, in the 106th month of Coalition operations in Syria, International Coalition Forces conducted several patrols; they are as follows:

 

• July 8: SOHR activists reported that a US convoy of nearly 50 “Hammer” cars carrying soldiers, weapons and soldiers’ supplies, moved from Teshrin Dam in Manbij City in eastern Aleppo countryside to Deir Ezzor province, without knowing the reasons.

 

• July 8: US forces and the Rapid Deployment Forces of the Internal Security Forces “Al-Asayesh” conducted a military patrol comprising two US armoured vehicles and four 4×4 vehicles equipped with “Doshka” machineguns, where the patrol set off from the base in Tel Baidar northern of Al-Hasakah all the way to eastern Al-Dirbasiyah countryside, coinciding with the flight of two helicopters of the International Coalition to protect the patrol.

 

• July 9: US forces conducted a military patrol of seven military armoured vehicles escorted by members of the Rapid Response Forces of the Internal Security Forces “Asayish”. The patrol set off from the US base in Tel Baidar in northern Al-Hasakah countryside and toured Al-Sairan and Abo Jardan villages near the Turkey-Syria border.

 

On the other hand, the US Central Command in Syria announced, on July 5, a violation by the Russians to that agreement, after Russian aircraft had “harassed” US drones which were hovering over areas where ISIS members were deployed in Deir Ezzor and the 55 kilometre de-confliction zone near Al-Tanf garrison, describing that action as “serious and unsafe.”

 

Russian forces reacted to this announcement by accusing US forces of flying drones near the airspace where Russian and regime aircraft where conducting joint aerial exercises in north Syria.

 

It is worth noting SOHR obtained a copy of a video footage showing Russian aircraft dropping flaming bombs with parachutes on Al-Bab countryside in north-eastern Aleppo. Russian aircraft also dropped similar bombs on the areas of Jarabulus and Al-Sajour.

 

SOHR sources had reported that US fighter jets, F22, were forced to conduct manoeuvres, while participating in a security mission near the Syria-Iraq border, after having been “harassed” by a Russian fighter jet.

 

While on July 8, American forces blew up tunnels near of Sayran village two kilometres away from the Syrian-Turkish border, after the area was checked by a specialized team equipped with devices and police dogs. They also cut off the telecom services and the internet, and prevented residents from leaving or entering the village, until the completion of the blowing up operations and filling the tunnels.

 

Turkey stated that these tunnels were extending to the Turkish territory and were discovered for the first time by the Turkish-Russian joint patrols. Turkey also asked the American forces to blow up these tunnels, while American forces agreed to pull the rug out from under Turkey to restrain it of launching a military operation in areas in northeast of Syria.

 

 

July 2023: Another month passes and no investigation into alleged Coalition massacres

 

Despite SOHR repeated and “unheeded” appeals, International Coalition and SDF have not announced the results of interrogations with ISIS detainees and what happened to the thousands of abductees. The Syrian Observatory had previously called upon the international community to investigate reports regarding the killing of 200 ISIS operatives and their families, women, and children, in a massacre committed by the Coalition’s jets by bombing Al-Baghouz camp on March 21, 2019.

 

According to SOHR sources, 200 bodies were buried at dawn on that particular day, without information on whether the International Coalition was aware of the presence of children and women from ISIS families inside the camp or not.

 

However, all these appeals remain unanswered. Therefore, SOHR renews its calls and appeals to all relevant parties to disclose and announce the whole facts and hold accountable those responsible for the massacres and violations over the past five years, during which the Coalition was actively involved in the Syrian crisis.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while providing adequate monitoring of Coalition operations in Syria, stresses once more that it would have been possible to avoid the heavy losses of Syrian civilian lives if the International Coalition had not ignored SOHR’s calls to spare and protect civilians from its military operations, where the presence of Islamic State militants or other jihadist groups in a civilian area does not in any way justify the blank and discriminate bombardment of the area and the loss of civilian lives.

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also stresses that the negative impact of Turkish military intervention on civilians could have been avoided, if US Presidents had applied enough pressure on their Turkish counterparts to stop a new humanitarian crisis, displacing thousands and killing and injuring hundreds.

 

On the other hand, we at SOHR would like to remind the world that the oil and gas resources, controlled by the International Coalition, belong only to the Syrian people. Therefore, all the concerned parties are obliged under international laws and norms to preserve these resources and ensure that they will not be stolen or seized in any way; these resources do not belong to the “regime”, “Iran” or any other party; they belong only to the people of Syria, who have been suffering the brutalities of an ongoing war for over ten years. SOHR also warns of the repercussions of exploiting these sources, seizing them, or depriving the Syrians of their rights to resources.