Violent explosions shook Salamiyah city, caused by the fall of missiles targeted the city, which its countryside is witnessing violent clashes, the city was also targeted with shells yesterday, causing several injuries including two women. The SOHR learned that violent fighting continues to take place between the regime forces and their allied militiamen backed by Palestinian factions, Iranian militiamen and the Russian Forces on one hand and ISIS on the other in Uqayribat area in the eastern countryside of Hama. Cross sources confirmed to the SOHR that the regime forces managed to prove to be in full control of Uqayribat town, which used to be considered the last stronghold of ISIS in Hama Province. The regime forces also managed to advance and reach the outskirts of Hamada Omar village, which is considered one of the strategic villages that are still under the control of ISIS in the eastern countryside of Hama. Clashes are accompanied by intensive artillery and rocket shelling. Warplanes and helicopters also continue to hover in the skies of the eastern countryside of Hama, amid intensive airstrikes which targeted the villages of Hamada Omar, Soha, areas in the vicinity of Uqayribat and the villages which are still under the control of ISIS. ISIS also blew up a booby-trapped car targeting one of the positions of the regime forces and their allied militiamen in the vicinity of Uqayribat. Casualties were reported at both sides.

The SOHR documented more casualties at both sides of the fighting in the eastern countryside of Salamiyah city in the eastern countryside of Hama. The death toll documented by the SOHR since yesterday morning, the 2nd of September 2017 as a result of the violent shelling, bombings and continued fighting in Uqayribat and east of Hama increased significantly. On one hand, the number of ISIS members killed rose to 120 at least. On the other hand, fatalities among the regime forces and their allied militiamen, who were killed over the same period of time, rose to 35 at least.

The SOHR published yesterday that clashes were concentrated in Uqayribat area. The regime forces managed to advance and regain control over huge parts of the town, on which ISIS carried out a violent counter attack yesterday morning, the 2nd of September 2017, in an attempt to wrest control of the town. However, the regime forces managed to regain control over the places into which ISIS advanced, forcing it to retreat to the western outskirts of Uqayribat town. The regime forces also took control of a village east of Salamiyah city. the SOHR published the day before yesterday that the regime forces attempted to launch their attack from the east of Uqayribat through several areas following their failed attempts to advance through salamiyah city towards the west of Uqayribat. Such decision enabled the regime forces to advance into the area and expand their scope of control. It also got them closer to strategic villages, including Soha village which is hundreds of meters away from Uqayribat town, by advancing into areas adjacent to the administrative border between Hama and Homs. The SOHR had documented the death of about 40 civilians, including 7 children and 7 women, as a result of the intensive airstrikes and missile strikes carried out during the past 10 days on ISIS-controlled villages in the eastern countryside of Hama. It should be noted that around 5 thousand civilians are still trapped in those villages in the circle besieged by the regime forces and their allied militiamen. Raids also caused the injury of about 100 civilians, with varied degrees of severity. Thus, the death toll is still likely to rise especially amid such significant shortage in the medical capabilities necessary for the critical conditions and serious injuries. Such an escalated targeting of infrastructures and heavy shelling on and destruction of villages in the eastern countryside of Hama by the Russian and the regime’s warplanes along with its forces coincided with deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the area. About 5 thousand civilians are still trapped in this besieged area, namely the villages of the eastern countryside of Hama and the area linked to it in the eastern countryside of Homs. Tragically, they are experiencing a significant shortage of food and medicine and lack of hospitals, medical care and specialized doctors for the critical conditions. Local sources called upon International Organizations, through the SOHR, to put pressure on all actors to secure a safe passage for thousands of civilians – children, men, elderly, and women – to areas beyond the control of ISIS. Local sources confirmed to the SOHR that hundreds of families were transferred to areas near Ithriyah-Salamiyah road in order to move them to areas under the control of the factions and Hayyaat Tahrir Al-Sham. Contact was lost with tens of civilians while fleeing ISIS-controlled areas in the eastern countryside of Hama.

A high-resolution link to a map showing entities controlling Uqayribat, the last stronghold of ISIS in Hama Province