The 2016 Dabiq offensive was a military offensive and part of the third phase of

Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Euphrates Shield () was an offensive by the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army, which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria. Operations were carried out in the region between the Euphrates river to th ...

launched by the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

and factions from the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

(FSA, a Syrian rebel group) and allied groups, with the goal of capturing the town of Dabiq, north of

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

from the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

(IS).Turkish-backed rebels 3km from strategic Dabiq, northern Syria
/ref> It began in September and resulted in the capture of Dabiq by Turkish/FSA-allied forces on 16 October.

Background

In anticipation of the offensive,

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

reinforced Dabiq with 800 fighters. An ISIL defeat at Dabiq was seen as a potential ideological blow since it has a central place in ISIL's interpretation of Muslim theology. According to ISIL, a battle at Dabiq between Islamic and "infidel" Christian forces would herald the beginning of the

apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre originating in Judaism in the centuries following the Babylonian exile (597–587 BCE) but persisting in Christianity and Islam. In apocalypse, a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a ...

. The beginning of the Turkish military intervention in Syria also correlates to the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Marj Dabiq, when the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

led by

Selim I Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...

entered northern Aleppo at Dabiq and conquered much of northern Syria.

The offensive

First week

On 28 September, the Turkish military stated that it destroyed an ISIL command post, a weapons dump and an ammunition depot in the Ihtemlat and Uwayshiyyah areas of

Aleppo Governorate Aleppo Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab'' ) is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000 (2011 Est.), almost 23% of the t ...

, while 82 targets were struck by shells. It also stated that the rebels recaptured the Al Eyyubiyah residential area of al-Rai, while ISIL temporarily recaptured the Tal-ar area, before rebel and Turkish forces once again seized it in addition to Ziadiyah. Between 29 September and 2 October, the rebels captured seven more villages from ISIL and had started advancing on Dabiq, with troops from U.S. Special Forces reported to be among them. By this point, the rebel and Turkish force was some three kilometers from Dabiq. On 3 October, advancing rebel forces ran into hundreds of landmines at the village of Turkman Bareh, on the way to Dabiq, leaving 15–21 rebels dead and another 29–35 wounded. Between 4 and 5 October, rebels captured Turkman Bareh and five more villages, including three to the east of Akhtarin. Meanwhile, Turkish fighter jets reportedly killed a regional ISIL commander in air-strikes near Akhtarin and al-Qubtan.

Second week

The town of Akhtarin was captured by the rebels on 6 October. An ISIL counter-attack two days later briefly recaptured the town, along with four other villages, including Turkman Bareh, before reportedly being repelled. According to the Turkish military, 38 ISIL militants were killed in clashes and airstrikes during 8 to 9 October. Between 9 and 11 October, the rebels captured 17 villages from ISIL, bringing them within two and a half kilometers of Dabiq. 30 rebels and 20 ISIL fighters were killed during the fighting.50 killed during clashes around Dabeq between rebels and IS
/ref> However, a subsequent ISIL counter-attack on 11 October, recaptured two villages. The Turkish military reported it had destroyed 98 ISIL targets during the clashes. Meanwhile, activists and eyewitnesses reported that shelling carried out by the rebels and Turkish Army on ISIL-held Duwaybiq village resulted in the deaths of at least 10 civilians and wounded many others.

Third week

On 12 October, the rebels captured Duwaybiq and also retook a village they lost the previous day. Meanwhile, the Turkish military stated that 109 militants had been killed and 77 ISIL targets destroyed between 11 and 13 October, with 10 rebels also being killed and at least 22 wounded in the clashes. On 15 October, the rebels captured three more villages, with Dabiq at this point being almost fully surrounded. The next day, both Dabiq, the nearby town of Sawran and seven other villages were seized by the rebels.After 24 of Siege, the IS pulls back from Dabeq strategic town
/ref>

References

External links

''Kadri Gursel:'' "Turkey faces decision over boots on the ground in Syria", ''Al-Monitor'', 27 September 2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:2016 al-Bab offensive Military operations of the Syrian civil war in 2016 Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving Turkey Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Free Syrian Army Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the United States Aleppo Governorate in the Syrian civil war Turkey–ISIL conflict Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant September 2016 in Syria October 2016 in Syria