On January 11, ISIS fighters attacked a positions of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the village of al-Sa’adah al-Gharbiyah south of al-Shaddadi city in the southern al-Hasakah countryside according to the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq. The source claimed that ISIS fighters killed five members of the SDF and captured two others during the attack.
Amaq added that ISIS fighters captured and destroyed a position of the SDF east of al-Shaafah village in southeastern Deir Ezzor. ISIS fighters also destroyed a BMP-1 vehicle of the SDF east of Hajin town with an ATGM according to the ISIS-linked news agency.
Meanwhile local sources revealed that ISIS had withdrawn from most of its positions inside Gharanij town north of Hajin. However, according to the sources, the US-backed force didn’t enter Gharanij yet due the effective resistance of the remaining ISIS fighters inside the town.
In a related development, ISIS executed two civilians in al-Shaafah village after accusing them of being SDF spies according to Amaq. However, local sources from Deir Ezzor revealed that the two civilians were only smuggling families to the SDF-held areas.
Lately many smugglers have been working on smuggling civilians and even former ISIS fighters and leaders to the SDF-held areas in eastern Syria, according to several reports.