The battles of the previous days :
The Islamic state lunched a major military campaign on the government forces positions in Deir Ezzor city on 13 January 2017 , the Islamic state used large number of its elements in this campaign, Estimated at 10-fold the elements that usually used, on the other hand the using of car bombs and suicide bombers to break into some of the positions.
The Islamic state took over the following positions during the campaign : Deir Ezzor cemetery, the Electricity company which is near Al-Thayyem oilfield, the protection brigade next to the airport, the officers residences near Harabesh neighborhood which is under the domination of the government forces, and the road between the military airport and the besieged neighborhoods became in the crosshairs of the Islamic state snipers, and the besieged neighborhoods have been targeted with mortar shells.
The government forces confronted this campaign with intensive artillery and aerial bombardment on the Islamic state-held areas (Al-Ommal, Al-Hamidiyeh, Al-Orrdey, Al-Sheikh Yassin, kanamat, khasarat) , Uthman bin Affan mosque with one airstrike, Also targeted : Al-Muhasan, Al-Meriiyaeh and AlBoleel towns in the eastern countryside, AlBaloum neighborhood in Al-Mayadin city, Hatla village in the northern entrance of Deir Ezzor city and Al-Jninah village in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor.
The bombardment on Al-Ommal neighborhood :
Al-Ommal neighborhood is located in the Islamic state-held areas of the city, and it is divided into two parts :
The first – Al-Ommal fokani : starts from AlSafa mosque to Al-Rasafah residences .
The second– Al-Ommal wasat : Located in the southern side of the city Specifically between Port Sayeed Street and Al-Ashari street extending from the Faculty of Science to the municipal stadium.
Al-Ommal neighborhood
The death of three children from one family:
On Tuesday 17 January 2017 , Aerial bombardment targeted the neighborhood and led to the death of 4 people including 3 children from the same family, and The observatory was able to meet and communicate with a number of witnesses about the death of those three children.
In an interview with the witness M.N –and she refused to reveal her name for security reasons – she said : “A fighter jet targeted the alley facing the Faculty of Science toward Al-Ommal neighborhood next to Marwan AlKhalaf house , which caused the death of three children ( Shahad Marwan AlKhalaf 8 years old , Ehsan Marwan AlKhalaf 6 years old , Omran Marwan AlKhalaf 5 years old “.
Picture of the victims obtained by the observatory back to earlier
From right : Omran-Shahad-Ehsan
And (H.H)- one of the sons of the city- said to the observatory reporter :” The bombardment was around 11 am by a fighter jet, the three children were Playing on the balcony of the house at the moment of bombardment Where the missile hit the door of the house directly and that led to their death and the survival of their mother “.
The witness (L.J) explained: the fighter jet carried out an airstrike while the children were playing on a swing inside the house of their father which caused their death “.
And he added :”I think the fighter jet was Russian because it doesn’t look like the Syrian warplanes which we got used to see them bombing the neighborhoods of Deir Ezzor years ago but I am not sure”.
The observatory reporter said : ” the bombardment which led to the death of the three children was a part of the fierce bombing campaign , the fighter jets didn’t leave the sky of the city , and he confirmed that the alley doesn’t has any headquarters for the Islamic state “.
The death toll :
Justice Observatory documented since the beginning of the campaign, from 13 January 2017 to 20 January 2017 , 16 civilian casualties in the besieged neighborhoods of the city , because of the mortar shells that were launched from the Islamic state-held areas , including 7 children and 5 women .
Whereas the observatory documented 17 civilians were killed due to Aerial bombardment that most likely by the government forces and its Allies on the neighborhoods of : Al-Ommal, Al- Hamidiyeh, Al-Orrdey .
AlBoleel and Al-Muhasan towns , Al-Jninah village, AlBaloum neighborhood in Al-Mayadin city including 9 children and 3 women.
