Siege of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya

Siege of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya Part of the Syrian Civil War Syrian rebels bombard al-Fu'ah and Kafriya using rocket artillery. Date 28 March 2015 – present (2 years, 4 months, 4 weeks and 2 days) Location Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya, Idlib District, Idlib Governorate, Syria (For a war map of the current situation around al-Fu'ah and Kafarya, see here.) Result Ceasefire[1] Rebels capture al-Suwaghiyah and Tal al-Khirbat[2][3] Belligerents Tahrir al-Sham (2017–present) Army of Conquest (2015–17)[4] al-Nusra Front Sham Legion (left the Army of Conquest in July 2016) Jaysh al-Sunna Jund al-Aqsa (left the Army of Conquest in October 2015, rejoined al-Nusra in October 2016) Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria[5] Ajnad al-Sham Liwa al-Haqq Ahrar ash-Sham Free Syrian Army[2] (2015) Syrian Arab Republic Hezbollah[6]  Iran[6] Commanders and leaders Abu Saleh al-Uzbeki[7] (Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad' leader) Sheikh Abu al-Hassan al-Tunisi † (al-Nusra leader)[8] Jamil Hussein Faqih †[6] (Hezbollah operations leader for al-Fu'ah and Kafriya) Units involved Army of Conquest al-Nusra Front Imam Bukhari Jamaat[9] Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad[10] Free Syrian Army[2] 101st Infantry Division[2] Syrian Armed Forces National Defense Force Popular Committees[6] Hezbollah-affiliated local militias Saryat al-Shaheed Abu Yasir[6] (since 2015) Saryat al-‘Ishq[6] al-Wilaya Scouts Imam Mahdi Scouts[6] Fatima al-Zahara’ Regiment[6] Iranian Armed Forces IRGC[6] Strength 3,000–4,000[11] 4,000[12] Casualties and losses 650+ killed (gov. claim)[11] 74–100+ killed (Sep. 2015 assault)[13][3] 40+ killed (Sep. 2015 assault)[14] 7 civilians killed (Sep. 2015 assault)[14] 90+ civilians and government soldiers killed or wounded (March–Dec. 2016)[15][16]

The Siege of al-Fu'ah and Kefriya refers to the siege of the towns of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya in the Idlib Governorate, during the Syrian Civil War. The siege was initiated with a rebel assault on the capital of the province, resulting in the capture of Idlib.

The siege

2015

On 28 March 2015, after four days of fighting, rebels captured Idlib city^[17] and managed to besiege the towns of Kafriya and al‐Fu'ah.^[18] Thousands of civilians were trapped since.^[19] Army of Conquest and its main component al-Nusra Front (al-Qaeda branch in Syria) since then imposed a full siege blocking all humanitarian supplies to the towns and several executions were reported to happen in Idlib province for people accused to smuggle goods into Kafriya and al‐Fu'ah ^[20]

On 2 August, the Army of Conquest announced it would continue its operations against the besieged enclave of Kafriya and al-Fu’ah.^[21] On 10 August, the rebels launched an assault on al-Fu'ah, after detonating a car bomb and tunnel bomb, and advanced towards it.^[22]

On 31 August, rebels launched a powerful attack on the Shia enclave and captured al-Suwaghiyah, forcing the government soldiers to retreat to Tal Khirbat.^[2]

Between 3 September and 5 September, the rebels intensively shelled the enclave and launched a number of attacks on al-Fu'ah and Kafriya from Maarrat Misrin, al-Suwaghiyah and Idlib city. The attacks were repelled, with the Army reportedly destroying three armoured vehicles.^[23]

On 18 September, the rebels launched a new attack on the enclave, firing almost 400 shells and rockets, while nine car bombs (including seven suicide bombers) were detonated at government positions. The clashes led to the death of at least 29 rebels and 21 government soldiers, as well as seven civilians.^[19] The SOHR reported that the rebels gained some ground.^[24][25] Ajnad al-Sham threatened to shell Fu'ah and Kefriya with over 100 mortars a day.^[26]

On 19 September, rebels advanced again in the vicinity of al-Fuah,^[27] capturing Tal Al-Khirbat and a number of checkpoints around it.^[3] On the other hand, the government troops repelled the rebels attack on the nearby village of Deir Al-Zughb. According to government claims, the rebels lost over 100 fighters, including 31 from foreign countries.^[3]

The overall number of suicide bombers with VBIEDs that attacked al-Fou’aa and Kafraya in the battle of 18–19 September was estimated to be 26 VBIEDs. The attackers were: 11 Uyghurs, one Lebanese, 2 Saudis and 11 Syrians.^[28]

On 20 September, a second cease-fire in al-Zabadani/Madaya and al-Fou’aa/Kafriya was implemented, where the rebels allowed humanitarian aid to the besieged civilians of al-Fou’aa and Kafriya.^[1][29] A violation of this cease-fire was reported the next day as the rebels resumed shelling the towns.^[30] Rebels again violated the cease-fire by shelling the towns at the end of the month, but the cease-fire held.^[31]

2016

On 11 January 2016, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme organized an aid convoy to deliver food, medicine and other aid to Kefriya and Fu'ah, along with Madaya in the south.^[32] Despite several humanitarian convoys entering the besieged area, the citizens were still suffering from very difficult survival conditions, basic medical care, vaccines and food are not available and al-Nusra front fighters continue to bombard the towns causing daily casualties among civilians.

On 21 July, two ill civilians from Fuah and Kefraya were evacuated to Latakia by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, in return for two ill civilians also being evacuated from Zabadani to Idlib. Medical and food aid arrived to the towns, in addition to Qalaat al-Madiq.^[33]

At the end of September, 52 aid trucks went to Zabadani and Madaya and 19 arrived in Fuah and Kefraya, which has around 20,000 residents combined.^[34]

On 21 November, rebel shelling and sniper fire killed at least one civilian in Fuah and Kefraya.^[35]

From 3 to 6 December, more than 10 civilians in Fuah and Kefraya were killed by rebel shelling, in retaliation to the Syrian Air Force bombings throughout the governorate which killed more than 121 civilians.^[16]

On 18 December, a group of busses from Aleppo headed toward Fuah and Kefraya in order to evacuate 2,500 civilians there as part of an agreement that would also evacuate the remaining civilians from the former rebel-held districts of Aleppo after the offensive. En route, 6 buses were attacked and burned fighters from the al-Nusra Front, preventing the evacuation.^[36][37][38] Two days later, more than 1,000 people from Fuah and Kefraya left the towns in buses and headed to Aleppo.^[39]

2017

In January 2017, the rebels shelled al-Fuah which led to several injuries.^[40] Mid-March, Tahrir al-Sham captured Tall Umm A’anoun hill from the NDF, in an attempt to cut the road linking Fuah with Kafraya.^[41]

On 28 March, an agreement was brokered by Qatar and Iran for the evacuation of Fu'ah and Kafriya in exchange for the evacuation of residents and rebels in Zabadani and Madaya.^[42] The agreement came into effect beginning on 12 April and buses and ambulances arrived in the four towns with the assistance of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to begin the evacuations.^[43] On 14 April, 75 buses and 20 ambulances evacuated around 5,000 people from Fua and Kefraya to Aleppo.^[44] On 15 April, a convoy of buses carrying Shia evacuees was attacked by a suicide bomber west of Aleppo, killing more than 100 people.^[45]

See also

• Siege of Nubl and Zahraa
• Siege of Deir ez-Zor (2014–present)
• Battle of Zabadani (2015)
• 2015 Zabadani cease-fire agreement

References