Date: Dec 13, 2018 Source: The Daily Star Iraq bombs Daesh meeting positions in Syria Gemma Fox| The Daily Star BEIRUT: The Iraqi military bombed two Daesh (ISIS) positions inside Syria being used as meeting locations by members of the militant group, the Joint Operations Command said in a statement Tuesday. The statement said at least 30 Daesh members were at one of the sites, while 14 others were present at the other. Acting on intelligence sources, the military said the targeted positions were in the area of Souseh, near the border with Iraq. The Iraqi army have regularly bombed Daesh targets across the border in what it says is support for the offensive led by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the militants’ last remaining enclave in eastern Syria. The offensive around Deir al-Zor by the Kurdish-led rebel group, now entering its third months, has killed hundreds of fighters, civilians and militants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday, adding that more than 600 people were killed in one month. In the last 30 days, fighting has killed at least 196 civilians, including 73 children, the Observatory said, while over 300 civilians have been killed since the start of the offensive. The coalition has hit back against reports that strikes have killed large numbers of civilians in the area. Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, a deputy commander in the coalition against Daesh, said last month that the Observatory’s reports were “unsubstantiated.” Since 2014, the U.S.-led coalition has acknowledged direct responsibility for over 1,100 civilian deaths in Syria and Iraq, but rights groups put the number much higher. The Observatory also said that at least 257 Daesh militants and 172 SDF fighters have been also killed since Nov. 10, bringing the total number to 800 militants and 500 SDF fighters killed since the start of the offensive. The SDF has suffered a series of setbacks during its assault, with Daesh launching a number of vicious counterattacks and Turkish army shelling killing four of its fighters, forcing the Kurdish alliance to suspend operations in October. The offensive was restarted the following month following “intensive contact” with the coalition. The Kurdish alliance has since been able to claw back territory previously lost to Daesh during the fighting, the Observatory said. The SDF announced Monday that it had seized Hajin Hospital on the eastern outskirts of Deir al-Zor province following overnight clashes with the militants. At least 1,300 civilians have managed to escape areas under Daesh control since Nov. 30, the Observatory added. The SDF had said humanitarian corridors had been opened for those trying to flee the beleaguered pocket. Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee agency said that a quarter of a million Syrian refugees could return to their country next year, but said Damascus must help resolve persistent problems many face with documentation and property. Amin Awad, UNHCR director for the Middle East and North Africa, told a news briefing in Geneva that some 5.6 million Syrian refugees remain in neighboring countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Iraq. Some 37,000 have returned this year, UNHCR figures show. In Moscow, Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev put the figure much higher, and said that 114,000 Syrians had returned home in 2018. Speaking at a session of the headquarters of Russia and Syria on the repatriation of refugees in Moscow, Mizintsev said that the main flow of refugees returning to Syria goes through the borders with Lebanon and Jordan, according to TASS news agency. Over 31,000 Syrians returned via the Nassib border crossing since it was opened in October. He also said over 177,000 internally displaced people have also returned home this year. “The war is over and the country’s restoration is proceeding at full pace,” he said. Russia has pushed for refugees’ repatriation. Western governments say it’s too early to push for refugees to start returning to Syria. In order to help support the political settlement and refugee returns, Syria should be readmitted into the Arab League, Mizintsev said. “It will serve as a convincing signal for the international community about the return of the country to peaceful life and the promotion of the process of the political settlement of the crisis, as well as push the refugees toward making positive decisions on the return to their homes.” The 22-member Arab League froze Syria’s membership after the civil war erupted in 2011, followed by sanctions and the severing of diplomatic ties between the regional organization and Damascus.