Battle of Hosn

Battle of Hosn
Part of Syrian Civil War

Hosn village
Date20 March 2014
Location
Al-Husn, Homs Governorate, Syria
Result

Syrian government victory

Belligerents

Syria Syrian Arab Republic

Hezbollah		 Jund al-Sham
Ahrar ash-Sham
Al-Nusra Front
Islamic Front
Syria Free Syrian Army
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Abu Abdullah al-Hamawi
(Ahrar ash-Sham commander)
Khaled Mahmoud al-Dandashi  †
(alias: "Abu Suleiman", Emir and Founder of Jund ash-Sham)[1]
Strength
Unknown 300 fighters[2]
Casualties and losses
Several killed[2] 40[3]–93[2] killed (Army claim)
12 killed (opposition claim)[4]
Map of the Situation in Western Homs, early March 2014

The Battle of Hosn was a one-day battle during the Syrian Civil War around the village of Hosn and its proper center in the 900-year-old medieval Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, that had been in the hands of rebel fighters along with Hosn itself since 2012. The Syrian Army's objective during the battle was to sever the rebels' supply routes for recruits and weapons coming in and out of Lebanon.[2][4][5]

On the morning of 20 March, fighting started around early dawn[2] with a heavy bombardment of the medieval castle[4] where 300 rebels were believed to reside.[2] The town of Hosn itself was also shelled.[4] According to an opposition activist, an agreement for safe conduct of the rebels to Lebanon had been reached the previous day.[4] The military commander leading the battle denied that an agreement had been reached. He stated the military had refused to grant the rebels holed up in the castle safe conduct from the fortress and made the final push into it after seeing the rebels retreating.[2] Another opposition activist countered with claims the military ambushed individuals fleeing Hosn, near the Lebanese border, leaving many dead.[4] Government troops took the castle by the early afternoon.[2] 12 rebel fighters were killed in the engagement inside the castle, including Abu Suleiman Dandashi, an Ahrar ash-Sham brigade commander and Lebanese national.[4] According to military sources, 40–93 rebels were killed as they retreated, including Khaled al-Mahmud, purported to be the leader of the jihadist Jund ash-Sham rebel group.[2][3] Several soldiers were also killed in the fighting.[2]

After the capture of Hosn and the castle, the Army announced that it had regained full control of the western part of the Homs Governorate.[6]

  1. ^ "Fears as Islamist fighters flock to Lebanon". The Daily Star. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Syrian army says 93 rebels killed fleeing castle". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Syria army seizes famed Crusader fort in border push". InterAksyon.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g ABC News. "Syrian Troops Capture Crusader-Era Citadel". ABC News. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Syria army retakes famed Crusader castle in border push". Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Syrian army says has control of western Homs province". Reuters. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2014.