Good news was received from Syria this weekend in that today the government forces with the support of the allied forces has finally defeated the largest stronghold of Al-Nusra terrorists in the north of Hama province. This was reported by RIA Novosti correspondent Mikhail Alayeddin. The villages of Halfaya, Az-Zuvar, Zalin and Btash have been freed.
Mine clearing is underway. Meanwhile, the USA seems to be continuing to implement its plan to breakup Syria. Today, RIA Novosti reported that the Syrian city of Raqqa, which until now was considered the capital of the so-called Islamic State, is blocked from four sides by the Kurdish forces with the support of the Americans. If we consider the fact that recently the Kurdish organization called Syrian Democratic Forces announced the formation of the Civil Assembly of Raqqa and that it will take over power in Raqqa after its liberation from fanatics, it becomes clear that the situation is practically coming close to the creation of the united Kurdistan.
Official Damascus protests and emphasizes that the Americans act without the consent of the Syrian authorities, and their presence in the north of Syria is, in fact, an intervention. The barbarians from ISIS, feeling that they will lose Raqqa in any case, announced on Saturday that they are going to move the capital of their pseudo-Caliphate to Deir ez-Zor, which they haven’t taken yet. The city has been under a total blockade for many years, but hasn't given up. The only correspondent who is now working inside the city is our military correspondent Yevgeny Poddubny. And here is his special report.
We are on the territory which is completely controlled by the militants of the so-called Islamic State. The helicopter is at an altitude of about 4,000 meters, so that it couldn't be knocked down by anti-aircraft guns. Now, this is the only way to get to the besieged Deir ez-Zor. The helicopter carries food, essential goods, and medicine. This is how they supply both the garrison that defends the city and the civilians of Deir ez-Zor. Here, these machines are called "cabriolets". The rear bay door is dismantled to allow for quick unloading. Mi-8 is lightened as much as possible to take in more cargo.
Deir ez-Zor is the easternmost outpost of Syrian government forces. The city on the bank of Euphrates near the border with Iraq. Only a few areas of Deir ez-Zor and the airfield are controlled by the soldiers of the Republican Guard and the Armed Forces. The military at the airbase are cut off from the urban areas. The situation is critical for both the garrison, which holds the line, and the civilians. This is the most dangerous part of the route.
The helicopter started landing over Deir ez-Zor. The militants of the so-called Islamic State almost always shoot at helicopters when they are approaching the landing site. They also hit helicopters during unloading. Immediately after the helicopter touches the ground, you need to quickly exit, and enter the shelter. The pilots go through the last segment at high speed and very close to the ground. Everyone is stressed while unloading the Mi-8. The militants use strike drones to attack the only landing area at the moment when a helicopter lands.
This time, we were lucky, the helicopter goes up without any incidents. This is one of the two working hospitals of Deir ez-Zor. Here, there are victims of the ISIS terrorist drone attacks. There are people who were injured on the helipad. The children were attacked by the terrorists in the city. Almost everyone has serious shrapnel wounds. Doctors do their best to save the patients, but there isn't enough medicine, there are no bandages, antibiotics, blood products, and it’s almost impossible to evacuate the seriously wounded in such a situation. My nephew was wounded while he was playing with his friends on the street. The terrorists threw a mine from a drone. The fragment hit his arm and lung. It’s intolerable to live like this! The terrorists see what they shoot at, and specifically shoot at the children. They don’t care who to kill for their goals.
In Deir ez-Zor, there is a large-scale humanitarian disaster. This can be seen right away. There is no electricity. There is not enough food even with the humanitarian assistance, which is dropped with parachutes. There are 11 people in this family. The father can’t hold back his tears. The children eat once a day and only if they're lucky. I don’t understand how long we can live like this. The terrorists surrounded us and don’t let anyone to leave the city. One can endure something, but when it lasts for several years, one starts to give up. Why are you crying?
These people had a big and cozy house, but now, the terrorists of the so-called Islamic State occupied the area where the family lived. So all 11 people live in an unfinished house. I could never imagine that I would meet guests like this. I'm actually ashamed. Every day, we pray to God for our suffering to end. This is how many people prepare food in Deir ez-Zor. Dirty water is boiled on a fire from old clothes and tires. Firewood is really worth its weight in gold. Few can afford to buy it. Deir ez-Zor citizens have long forgotten about gas. In Deir ez-Zor, there is not only insufficient food, but there is practically no water. It is brought once a week, untreated, directly from Euphrates. And all civilians stock up for a week. We take 30 buckets and hope that next time there will be water.
The terrorists seized almost all the water supply stations and cut us off from the water supply. They organized a real blockade. Many of the children who lift canisters with water to the upper floors have never seen fruit and vegetables, and have never eaten enough. Deir ez-Zor is also a city of separated families. The son of this woman was wounded and evacuated to Damascus together with her husband. She was left alone with three children. We are living dead here, and it seems that no one cares about us in the world. We're not afraid of anything anymore because we think that we will die either from hunger or from a mine or a terrorist's bullet. We must save the city, otherwise, there will be a huge tragedy.
So far, we support each other and help each other. That’s the only thing that saves us. But we are in despair. 80,000 civilians are still in Deir ez-Zor. It’s clear that no humanitarian corridors will be opened by ISIS terrorists. Death from hunger is already a familiar thing here. The terrorists of the so-called Islamic State lost Palmyra, almost lost Raqqa and Mosul, and now, here is their main goal. ISIS fanatics need new headquarters, and the only city that is suitable for this is Deir ez-Zor.
