2014 Eastern Syria offensive
Part of the Syrian Civil War

Territorial control before and after the offensive.
(Dotted lines denote frontlines prior to the offensive)
  Syrian Army control
  Opposition control (including al-Qaeda in the Levant)
  Kurdish control
  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  Ongoing confrontation or unclear situation
Date23 July – 28 August 2014
(1 month and 5 days)
Location
Eastern Syria
Result Decisive ISIL victory; Major SAA retreat
Territorial
changes
  • ISIL captures Division 17,[1] Brigade 93,[2] Artillery Regiment 121[3] and Al-Tabqa airbase[4]
  • The Syrian Army recaptures five villages to the south of Al-Hasakah city[5] and repels attack on Kwayres air base[6]
  • Shared control of Al-Hasakah city between the Syrian government and Kurdish forces is established[7]
  • The Syrian Army repels three ISIL attacks on Al-Tabqa airbase, before retreating from the base[8]
Belligerents
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Syrian Armed Forces

 Rojava

Commanders and leaders

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
(Caliph of ISIL)
Abu Omar al-Shishani[12]
(ISIL general military commander)
Amer al-Rafdan[4]
(ISIL governor of Deir ez-Zor)
Ali Moussa al-Shawakh[13]
(Army of Raqqa commander)
Abu Osama al-Tunisi[13]
(Army of Aleppo commander)

Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti[13][14]
(Knights Battalion commander)

Brig. General Suleiman Dhaher
(commander of Division 17)[15]
Brig. General Hasham al-Sha'arani †
(Division 17)[16]
General Mozid Salama
(commander of Artillery Regiment 121)[17]
Sipan Hemo
(YPG commander-in-chief)

Gewargis Hanna
(MFS commander)
Units involved

Military of ISIL

  • Army of Raqqa
  • Army of Aleppo
  • Army of Hasakah
    • Knights Battalion[14]

17th Division[17]

  • 93rd Armored Brigade [2]
  • 121st Artillery Regiment[17]
  • 137th Mechanized Brigade[18]
  • 123th Mechanized Brigade
12th Attack Squadron (MiG-21MF/UM)[19]
24th Helicopter Brigade (Mi-8)[19]
Strength

1,400–1,440+ fighters

  • 600[20]–640[17] fighters (Division 17 assault)
  • 800 fighters (Al-Hasakah province)[20]

1,400 (Al-Tabqa air base)[21]

Casualties and losses
456–586+ killed[2][21][24][25][26][27][28][29] Syrian government:
544+ killed [2][21][25][29][30]
32 missing[30][31]
10+ captured[21][32][33]
1 MiG-21MF/UM[22]
YPG:
5+ killed[34]

The 2014 Eastern Syria offensive was an offensive launched by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or IS) against government-held military installations in eastern Syria during the Syrian Civil War, after expelling the Syrian rebels from the region. The offensive is considered to be the largest military attack against the Syrian government launched by ISIL since its establishment. It is also considered to be a reaction to Syrian Army military operations against ISIL positions in eastern Syria.[17]

The offensive

Raqqa, Al-Hasakah, and Aleppo assaults

Late in the evening on 23 July, a 640-men strong Islamic State assault force (of which 40 were infiltrators) launched an attack on the Division 17 base, north of Raqqa, from three sides. The attack began with two suicide attacks. Both were thwarted by the defenders before they could reach their targets.[17] However, the explosions did leave 19 soldiers dead.[1] The next day, just hours after the attack on Division 17 started, ISIL launched an attack on the Regiment 121 base (known as the Melbiya Regiment), south of Al-Hasakah, and the Panorama checkpoint at the southern entrance to the city. According to some reports, militants breached the base and killed General Mozid Salama along with 20 of his men. A Syrian Army official denied this claim. At the same time, four infiltrators disguised as NDF members attacked the Ba'ath party building in Al-Hasakah, killing a high-ranking Ba'ath political leader.[17] The four ISIL infiltrators eventually blew themselves up, killing a total of 12 persons.[25]

During the night of 25 July, a suicide car-bomb was detonated at the Panorama checkpoint, killing five soldiers. Meanwhile, clashes at the southern perimeter of Al-Hasakah city killed three YPG fighters,[9][35] while 11 Syrian soldiers (including an officer) died while defending the Artillery Regiment 121 base. 17 ISIL fighters were also killed near the base.[25]

On 26 July, ISIL took control of Division 17 after government forces retreated, following two days of fighting.[24] Hundreds of troops retreated from the base towards Brigade 93 and nearby villages.[1] Three groups were pulled out, while one group stayed behind to cover the retreat. One of the retreating groups got ambushed by ISIL, but two other groups,[36] numbering hundreds of soldiers, reached Brigade 93 that day. 300 other soldiers were still held up in the village of Al Rahyat.[37] 50 soldiers from the ambushed group were captured and summarily executed.[1] Overall, 85 soldiers were killed in the battle for Division 17. The fate of 200 others remained unknown, according to the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights (SOHR). Some of the executed Syrian soldiers were paraded in Raqqa,[1] where the heads of soldiers were put on poles.[38] 28 ISIL fighters were also killed during the takeover of Division 17.[24]

On the same day, ISIL forces penetrated the besieged Kwayres air base, east of Aleppo, and captured parts of the airport campus.[39]

In the evening, it was reported that ISIL managed to capture large parts of Artillery Regiment 121 base,[40] and by the next day, according to SOHR, had fully taken control of the base.[3] However, according to Kurdish sources, government troops recaptured the base after ISIL forces retreated under heavy artillery fire.[7] It was also reported that YPG units seized weaponry from the SAA in Hasakah city,[34] while YPG and pro-government fighters set up joint patrols in the southern parts of Al-Hasakah to prevent ISIL taking control of the city.[10] According to the state news agency SANA, the military recaptured the Penitentiary center for teenagers, the Martyrs Cemetery and the al-Ahrash area on the southern outskirts of Hasakah.[41]

Meanwhile, dozens of government soldiers, fleeing from the captured Division 17, reached the Al-Thawrah air base, also known as Al-Tabqa.[42] Also during this time, ISIL forces retreated from the Kwayres air base due to heavy shelling.[6]

Syrian Army counterattack

On 31 July, ISIL fighters retreated from the Al Mashtal area towards Mafraq Sediq, 7 kilometers west of Al Hasakah city, because of potential shelling by government forces. Meanwhile, ISIL itself shelled Al Hasakah with mortars, leaving three people dead.[43]

On 1 August, the military counter-attacked and ISIL forces retreated from areas south-east of Al Hasakah city. Government troops captured the villages of Al Homor, Al Slaleyyi, Al Fallaha, Al Ma’ruf and Al Maqbara, eventually reaching the old junction of Al Shaddadi during the advance.[5]

Further ISIL advances

After overnight clashes that started with a triple suicide bombing, on 7 August, ISIL forces captured large parts of the Brigade 93 base.[44] The next day, ISIL was in full control of the base and started preparing to attack Al-Tabqa air base, the last government stronghold in Raqqa province.[2] In the past, different rebel groups besieged the Al-Tabqa air base at different time periods. On 25 November 2013, they had shot down a government helicopter outside the base, killing all of its crew members.[45]

By this time, the number of confirmed soldiers killed at Division 17 was updated to 105, while another 140 soldiers remained missing.[30] 108 of the missing soldiers arrived at the air base on 14 August.[31]

On 8 August, ISIS repelled a Kurdish and pro-government forces attempt to recapture the Geweran neighbourhood of Hasakah city through the Beiruti bridge.[46]

Battle of Al-Tabqa airbase

Around 10 August 2014, ISIL started to continuously attack Al-Tabqa airbase.[47]

After two weeks of fighting, and several repelled ISIL assaults,[48] on 24 August, ISIL fighters breached Al-Tabqa and took control over large parts of the air base.[49] This attack occurred when the Army was already retreating from the base to the Ithriya area, leaving a small garrison behind. The base was eventually captured that day.[4][49]

In the final assault, Syrian 170 soldiers were killed, while since the start of the battle, 346 ISIL fighters and 195 Syrian soldiers had been killed.[27] The number of dead soldiers was later updated to 200.[21] Another 150 soldiers were reportedly captured,[50][51] while 700 soldiers managed to retreat.[21]

Mohasan and Baath Dam

On 28 August, Syrian fighter jets launched a precise attack on an ISIL HQ in the city of Muhasan, during a meeting between military leaders and sharia judges. The attack resulted in the death of most leaders inside (numbering six), while others were wounded.[21][52] Another airstrike occurred the same day against an ISIL camp near Baath Dam, killing and wounding dozens of insurgents.[53] According to SOHR, ISIL executed 160 Syrian soldiers between 27 and 28 August.[21] At the beginning of October, 29 soldiers missing from the Brigade 93 base managed to reach the Army headquarters at Al-Hasakah city.[54]

Aftermath

An ISIL training camp in eastern Syria was bombed by the Air Force on 14 September, resulting in 17 ISIL casualties.[55] The next day, Special forces and Syrian Army engineers blew up the Political Bridge in Deir ez-Zor, killing all the militants who were on it. ISIL thus lost the only available land route to move into parts of the city it controlled. Further supplies had to be delivered by boats.[56]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "ISIS take over Syria army base, behead soldiers: Activists". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jihadists capture key base from Syrian army". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Islamic State in control of the Melbiya Regiment". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "After Tabaqa airport, what is IS' next target?". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Al Hasaka Province 2". Facebook. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 "The decline of the Islamic state in the military airport Kwers". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 "YPG and pro-Assad forces: enemy of my enemy is my friend". ARA News. 27 July 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "ISIS inside Syria's Tabqa military air base: activist". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Syria's Hasakah: return of life following surge of violence". ARA News. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  10. 1 2 "Our correspondent: joint patrols between YPG and regime forces in Al-Hasakah". Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "Interview with Christian SMC fighters and local Sunni Arabs who fights along YPG and YPJ". YouTube. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "REPORTS: SYRIA TROOPS KILL SCORES OF JIHADIS". The Big Story. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 Pascale Menassa (2 July 2014). "The Islamic State's organizational structure one year in". Al Monitor. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  14. 1 2 "IS members arrested in Kuwait, warrants issued for others – Suspects accused of funding, promoting, fighting with radical group". Kuwait Times. 17 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "Syria 24". Facebook. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi. "The Factions of Raqqa Province". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Showdown begins between Syrian army, Islamic State". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "Deir Ezzor: ISIS Sustains Heavy Casualties Attacking Al-Jafra". Al Masdar. 12 December 2014. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  19. 1 2 List of Syrian Air Force bases
  20. 1 2 "ISIS Works to Merge its Northern Front across Iraq and Syria". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "IS executes "more than 160" Syria troops in new atrocity". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  22. 1 2 "Elijah J Magnier:24-08-2014". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  23. ↑ "Elijah J Magnier: 24-8-2014". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  24. 1 2 3 "Observatory: the killing of 85 elements of the Syrian army at the hands of "Daash"". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Dozens killed in battles between the Syrian regime and the "Islamic state"". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  26. ↑ Al Jazeera and agencies. "Syrian jets hammer Islamic State stronghold". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  27. 1 2 "More than 500 dead in battle for Syria's Tabqa airport: NGO". The Citizen. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  28. ↑ Leith Fadel (21 August 2014). "200+ Islamic State Fighters Killed at Tabqa Airbase". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  29. 1 2 "Hama Province". Facebook. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  30. 1 2 3 "Islamic state controlled large parts of the 93 Brigade and kill dozens". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  31. 1 2 "108 عنصراً وضابطاً في قوات النظام، يصلون لآخر معاقل النظام بالرقة". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  32. ↑ "More than 320 people dead and missing from the regime's forces at the Battle of class airport". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  33. ↑ "ISIS captured more than 20 regime soldiers in Raqqa". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  34. 1 2 "A Brief Analysis of the Situation in Hasakah". Personal Website of Mutlu Civiroglu. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  35. ↑ "A violent explosion in the area of Panorama checkpoint at the southern entrance of Hasakah". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  36. ↑ "The story behind the Division 17 in Raqqa". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  37. ↑ "Al Raqqa Province". Facebook. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  38. ↑ Syria: Militants put victims' heads on poles Archived July 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  39. ↑ "Aleppo Province". Facebook. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  40. ↑ "Islamic state controlled large parts of the regiment Almilbeh". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  41. ↑ "Syria army deadlocked in battles with IS militant group". GlobalPost. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  42. ↑ "Dozens of regime forces arrived at Al-Thawrah military airport". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  43. ↑ "Al Hasaka Province 1". Facebook. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  44. ↑ "ISIS militants seize parts of Syrian army base in Raqa". France 24. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  45. ↑ al-Hakkar, Firas (25 November 2013). إعلان "النفير في ولاية الرقة" : احتدام معارك الفرقة 17 (in Arabic). Al-Akhbar (Lebanon). Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  46. ↑ "YPG spokesman: our cooperation with Syrian regime is logical under current conditions". ARA News. 9 August 2014. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  47. ↑ "Syrian troops defending last stronghold in Raqa province". Business Recorder. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  48. ↑ "Third ISIL Attempt to Seize Tabaqa Airport Fails". Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  49. 1 2 "Hundreds dead as Islamic State seizes Syrian air base - monitor". Reuters. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  50. ↑ "المرصد السورى لحقوق الإنسان - المرصد السورى لحقوق الإنسان". المرصد السورى لحقوق الإنسان. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  51. ↑ ISIS seizes last Syrian regime base in Raqqa province
  52. ↑ "طائرات النظام تدمر مقر قيادة لتنظيم الدولة الاسلامية في الموحسن". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  53. ↑ Сирийские самолеты атаковали базу исламистов у плотины на Ефрате (in Russian). Vesti.ru. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  54. ↑ Leith Fadel (2 October 2014). "ISIS Announces an Offensive in Al-Qamishli; Syrian Arab Army Liberates 2 More Villages in Northeast Latakia". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  55. ↑ "Syrian airstrike on jihadist camp kills 18". The Daily Star. 14 September 2014. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  56. ↑ "Syrian army destroys ISIS-controlled bridge". The Daily Star. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
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