East Aleppo offensive (November 2015–present)

East Aleppo Offensive (November 2015–present)
Part of the Syrian Civil War
Date 18 November 2015 – present (2 months and 4 weeks) Location Eastern Aleppo Governorate, Syria Result Ongoing The Army advances east, north, and west of the Kuweires airbase,[1] capturing 32 villages and comes close to the ISIL strongholds of Deir Hafir and Al-Bab
Belligerents
Syrian Arab Republic Syrian Army Syrian Air Force National Defence Forces  Iran IRGC Quds Force IRGC Ground Forces Iranian-backed Iraqi Militia[2] Ba'ath Brigades[3] Air strikes:  Russia Aerospace Forces[4]	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Commanders and leaders
Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani[5][6] (Chief strategist) Maj. Gen. Hossein Hamadani † (Deputy commander) Maj. Gen. Munzer Zammam[7] (Kuweires Airport commander) Col. Suheil al-Hassan[8] (Tiger Forces commander) Col. Shadi Isma'el[9] (Cheetah Forces commander) Col. Lu’ayy Sleitan[9] (Cheetah Forces commander) Viktor Bondarev	Unknown
Units involved
Syrian Army Tiger Forces[10] Cheetah Forces Brigade[9] Cheetah Forces Team 6[11] Aerospace Forces Sukhoi Su-25SMs[12]	Military of ISIL
Casualties and losses
35+ soldiers killed, dozens wounded[13]	Unknown

Following the Syrian Arab Army's successful Kuweires offensive,^[3] during the Syrian Civil War, which ended with the securing of the Kuweires Military Airbase on 16 November 2015,^[14] the military launched a new offensive in the eastern countryside of the Aleppo Governorate with the aim of expanding the buffer zone around the airport and disrupting ISIL supply lines.^[15]

The offensive

Between 18 and 19 November, government forces captured the village of Jamayliyah,^[15][16] the Sheikh Ahmad Train Station, the Sheikh Ahmad Production Facility^[17][18] and the hilltop of Tal Humaymah, positioning themselves only 8 km away from ISIL's long-time stronghold of Dayr Hafir.^[19]

Between 27 November and 7 December, government forces captured four villages near the Kuweires air base.^{[20][21][22][23][24]} In late December, they continued their advances by seizing five more villages and a hill north of the air base,^{[25][26][27][28]} with Najjarah being taken on the last day of 2015.^[29][30]

On 10 January 2016, government forces captured the village of Ayishah,^[31] and two days later another four nearby, bringing them only a few kilometers away from the southern perimeter of the city of Al-Bab.^[32]

Between 13 and 15 January, government troops captured seven more villages on the road between Al-Bab and the Kuweiris air base. A subsequent ISIL counter-attack recaptured one of them (Aran).^{[33][34][35][36][37][38][39]}

On 23 January, the Army launched a full attack west of Kuweires with the intention of linking up with government-held territory at the Sheikh Najjar Industrial District of Aleppo city. By 3 February, government forces captured 11 villages west and northwest of the base and were 13 kilometers from Sheikh Najjar.^[1] During this time, on 28 January, ISIL conducted a counter-attack against the villages they lost in the previous days. The subsequent fighting left 20 soldiers and 14 militants dead.^[40] One of the main objectives during the military's assault was the Aleppo Thermal Power Plant. On 31 January, the Army cut ISIL's supply lines to the plant and fighting raged on its perimeter.^[41]

In the evening of 3 February, government forces stormed the village of Tayyibah. Soon after ISIL reportedly started to withdraw from the village, while fighting still continued in Tayyibah. Meanwhile, government troops bypassed the plant due to dozens of improvised traps, mines and highly entrenched ISIL fighters in its vicinity.^[42]

On 7 February, ISIL recaptured two villages,^[43] while government forces captured another village and a hill,^[44][45] bringing them to within 7 kilometers of Sheikh Najjar and closing the ISIL pocket.^[46] An attempted ISIL counter-attack against the hill left 11 militants dead.^[47]

On 13 February, the Army recaptured Jubb al-Kalb village, less than one week after losing it to an ISIL counter-attack.^[48][49] The following day, the military captured four villages, including Tayyibah (300 meters from the Power Plant) and Barlihiyah (7 kilometers from government-held territory to the west).^[50][51][52]

See also

• Battle of Aleppo (2012–present)
• Northern Aleppo offensive (2016)

References

Syrian Civil War Part of the Arab Winter   Background Timeline Background 1963 coup d'état 1966 coup d'état 1970 "Corrective Revolution" 1979–82 Islamic uprising 1999 Latakia protests 2000–01 Damascus Spring 2004 al-Qamishli riots Syrian occupation of Lebanon 2005 Damascus Declaration Human rights in Syria 2011 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb Siege of Daraa Siege of Baniyas Talkalakh siege Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh Jisr ash-Shugur operation Siege of Hama Siege of Homs Jabal al-Zawiya operation Siege of Latakia Deir ez-Zor Clashes Rif Dimashq clashes Battle of Zabadani Battle of Douma Daraa Governorate clashes First Battle of Rastan Shayrat and Tiyas airbase ambush Idlib Governorate clashes Jabal al-Zawiya massacres 2012 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) al-Midan bombing Second Battle of Rastan First Idlib operation First Battle of Idlib First Battle of al-Qusayr Second Idlib operation Battle of Taftanaz Third Battle of Rastan Houla massacre Battle of al-Haffah Al-Qubeir massacre Battle of Tremseh Battle of Damascus Damascus bombing Battle of Aleppo Battle of Anadan Siege of Base 46 First Rif Dimashq offensive Darayya massacre Battle of Khirbet al-Joz Battle of Maarrat al-Nu'man First Siege of Wadi Deif Battle of Harem Second Rif Dimashq offensive Battle of Darayya Aqrab massacre First Hama offensive Halfaya massacre Battle of Darayya Quneitra Governorate clashes Talbiseh bakery massacre 2013 (Jan–Apr • May–Dec) Battle of Safira Battle of Shadadeh Damascus offensive Battle of Raqqa Daraa offensive Third Rif Dimashq offensive Battle of Jdaidet al-Fadl Ghouta chemical attack Al-Qusayr offensive Second Battle of al-Qusayr Bayda and Baniyas massacres Second Hama offensive Hatla massacre Khan al-Assal chemical attack Khan al-Assal massacre Adra massacre Battle of Ras al-Ayn Fourth Rif Dimashq offensive Aleppo offensive 2014 (Jan–Jul • Aug–Dec) First Inter-Rebel Conflict Battle of Markada First Deir ez-Zor Offensive Battle of Mork 2nd Daraa Offensive Maan massacre Al-Otaiba ambush 4th Idlib Offensive Battle of Hosn 2nd Latakia Offensive Battle of Al-Malihah Kafr Zita chemical attack Second Siege of Wadi Deif 2nd Qalamoun Offensive Battle of Arsal First Battle of the Shaer gas field Eastern Syria Offensive Battle for Tabqa Air base 3rd Hama Offensive Quneitra Offensive 6th Rif Dimashq offensive Siege of Kobanî 3rd Daraa offensive 2nd Al-Safira offensive Idlib Raid Second Inter-Rebel Conflict Second Battle of the Shaer gas field Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin 2nd Deir ez-Zor offensive 2015 (Jan–Jul • Aug–Dec) An-26 crash 4th Daraa Offensive Southern Syria Offensive Eastern al-Hasakah offensive 1st Battle of Sarrin 2nd Battle of Sarrin Battle of Bosra 5th Idlib Offensive Second Battle of Idlib Battle of Nasib Border Crossing 2nd Battle of Yarmouk Camp Western al-Hasakah offensive Palmyra offensive (May 2015) Tell Abyad offensive Kobanî massacre Quneitra offensive Northwestern Syria offensive Aleppo offensive Southern Al-Hasakah offensive Homs offensive (November–December 2015) Tishrin Dam offensive 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown 2016 (Jan–Jul Deir ez-Zor massacre Sayyidah Zaynab bombings Spillover Spillover into Lebanon Lebanese–Syrian border clashes Battle of Sidon Iranian Embassy Bombing Northern Lebanon Clashes Syrian-Turkish border clashes December 2011 Syrian–Turkish border clash Turkish aircraft shootdown October 2012 Syrian-Turkish border clashes Reyhanlı bombings January 2014 Turkish airstrike in Syria Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents Jordanian-Syrian border clashes April 2014 Jordanian–Syrian border airstrike Spillover into Iraq Akashat ambush Operation al-Shabah April 2014 Iraqi–Syrian border airstrike   Parties involved Syria Syrian Government Syrian Ba'ath Party Army & Militias Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Arab Army Syrian Arab Air Force Syrian Arab Navy National Defense Force Jaysh al-Sha'bi Lijan militias Ba'ath Brigades al-Abbas Brigade PFLP-GC Syrian Resistance Other groups Support for the government Hezbollah involvement Iranian involvement Basij Revolutionary Guards Russia's involvement military intervention Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition Opposition (SRCC) NCSR Government National Coalition Local Co-ordination Committees Syrian National Council Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change Syrian Revolution General Commission Syrian Support Group Adopt a Revolution Paramilitaries Free Syrian Army Syrian Turkmen Brigades Islamic Front Army of Mujahedeen Ajnad al-Sham Fastaqim Kama Umirt Smaller groups Support for the opposition American-led intervention American rescue mission Jordanian intervention Qatari involvement Saudi Arabia Turkey Rojava (Kurds) Rojava government Democratic Union Party Kurdish National Council (Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union) SDF forces People's Protection Units (Syriac Military Council) Jabhat al-Akrad Asayish Sutoro Salafi groups Jaish al-Fatah Al-Nusra Front Sham Legion Ahrar ash-Sham Other Salafists Muhajirin wa-Ansar Alliance Jabhat Ansar al-Din ISIL Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] Military of ISIL ISIL-allied groups Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade Jaysh al-Jihad   People Ammar Abdulhamid Ali al-Abdallah Adnan al-Aroor al-Assad family Bashar Maher Rifaat Rami Makhlouf Hafez Makhlouf Riad al-Asaad Anwar al-Bunni Fahd Jassem al-Freij Haitham al-Maleh Moaz al-Khatib Kamal al-Labwani Hamza al-Khateeb Tal al-Mallohi Fida al-Sayed Riad al-Turk Khaled Khoja Ammar al-Qurabi Suheir Atassi Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni Aref Dalila Farid Ghadry Burhan Ghalioun Razan Ghazzawi Ghassan Hitto Salim Idris Randa Kassis Abdul Halim Khaddam Michel Kilo Bassma Kodmani Ali Habib Mahmud Ali Mahmoud Othman Ibrahim Qashoush Dawoud Rajiha Yassin al-Haj Saleh Bouthaina Shaaban Adib Shishakly Abdulbaset Sieda Riad Seif Fadwa Soliman Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid Yaser Tabbara Razan Zaitouneh Rami Jarrah Abdurrahman Mustafa   Issues Peace process Related topics Issues Casualties Chemical weapons Cities and towns Damaged heritage sites Foreign involvement Human rights violations Humanitarian aid International reactions International demonstrations and protests Massacres Refugees (European migrant crisis) Sectarianism and minorities Spillover into Lebanon Syrian reactions Peace process Arab League monitors Friends of Syria Group Kofi Annan peace plan UN Supervision Mission Lakhdar Brahimi peace plan U.S.–Russia peace proposals on Syria 39th G8 summit UN Security Council Resolution 2118 Geneva II Conference 2015 Zabadani cease-fire agreement 2015 Vienna talks 2016 Geneva talks Related topics 2014 Syrian detainee report Fourth Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference International recognition of the Syrian National Council Syria Files Syrian media coverage The Return to Homs Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait Category Commons Wikinews