Northern al-Bab offensive (September 2016)

Northern al-Bab offensive (September 2016)
Part of the Turkish military intervention in Syria (August 2016–March 2017) and the Syrian Civil War

Map of the wider Turkish-led operations in northern Aleppo and the wider campaigns in Aleppo
  Syrian Armed Forces & Allied Groups
  Syrian Democratic Forces
  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
  Syrian opposition and Turkish troops in Northern Syria
Date16–27 September 2016
(1 week and 4 days)
Location
Al-Bab District, Aleppo Governorate, Syria
Status

Turkish and SNA victory [1][2]

  • FSA groups/Turkish capture 10 villages (16–20 Sep.)[3]
  • ISIL captures 20+ villages (21–23 Sep.)[1]
  • FSA groups/Turkish capture 15 villages (23–27 Sep.)
Belligerents

 Turkey
Syrian opposition Syrian Opposition

 Islamic State
Commanders and leaders
Turkey Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakallı[4]
(Operations chief commander)
Turkey Lt. Gen. İsmail Metin Temel[5][6]
(Second Army commander)
Syrian opposition Col. Ahmed Othman[7]
(Sultan Murad Division commander)
Syrian opposition Fehim İsa[8]
(Sultan Murad Division commander)
Syrian opposition Ali Şeyh Salih[9]
(Sultan Murad Division field commander)
Syrian opposition Muhammad al-Gabi[10]
(Liberation Army commander)
Syrian opposition Mohammad Abu Ibrahim[11]
Syrian opposition Mustafa Sejari[11]
(Al-Moutasem Brigade political leader)
Syrian opposition Abdel Karim Alyato[12] †
(13th Division commander)
Mahmoud Abu Hamza[13] (Descendants of Saladin Brigade commander)
Capt. Abdel Salam Abdel Razaq[13] (Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement commander)
Capt. Mohammed Abu Mustafa[10]
(Sham Legion commander)
Abu Jafer[14] (Brigade of Conquest commander)		 Unknown
Units involved

Turkey Turkish Armed Forces

Syrian opposition Hawar Kilis Operations Room


Other Syrian rebels
Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement[27]

Ahrar al-Sham[27][28]		 Unknown
Strength
Turkey 500+ soldiers[29]
Syrian opposition 1,500+ rebels[29]
United States 40 military advisors[29]		 3,000+ militants[30]
Casualties and losses

8 rebels and 2 Turkish soldiers killed (per Turkey & SOHR)[31][32][33][34]

~60 rebels and 2 Turkish soldiers killed, 1 Turkish tank destroyed (ISIL claim)[35][36]		 45+ killed (per Turkey)[31][37]

The northern al-Bab offensive (September 2016) was a military offensive and part of the third phase of Operation Euphrates Shield launched by the Turkish Armed Forces and factions from the Free Syrian Army and allied groups, with the goal of capturing the city of al-Bab located north of Aleppo from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 20villages was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference boots was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Hit-and-run clash in the countryside of al-Rai northeastern countryside Aleppo". SOHR. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  4. ^ Turkish Special Forces: From stopping a coup to the frontline of the ISIL fight Hürriyet Daily News, 24 August 2016.
  5. ^ Nick Tattersall; Humeyra Pamuk (26 August 2016). "Turkey signals no quick end to Syria incursion as truck bomb kills police". Reuters.
  6. ^ "Korgeneral İsmail Metin Temel Cerablus'ta". Hürriyet Daily News. 26 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Turkish Forces and Rebels Storm Into Syria, Taking IS Stronghold of Jarablus". VOA. 24 August 2016.
  8. ^ "SULTAN MURAT TÜMENİ KOMUTANI FEHİM İSA TATHAMUS TÜRKMEN KÖYÜNÜN DEAŞ TERÖR ÖRGÜTÜNDEN TEMİZLENDİĞİNİ AÇIKLADI". 24 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Sultan Murat Tugayları: Önce Çobanbey ardından Menbiç'e ilerleyeceğiz". 25 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  10. ^ a b "ÖSO komutanlarından Türkiye'ye teşekkür". 25 August 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Albin Szakola (25 August 2016). "Turkey-backed rebels aim for key ISIS-held town". NOW. Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  12. ^ a b "FSA 13th brigade field commander killed in clashes with IS north Aleppo". Stork on Twitter. 18 September 2016.
  13. ^ a b c "Turkish-backed FSA rebels set their sights on last IS Aleppo stronghold after border victory". Syria:direct. 5 September 2016.
  14. ^ "41K Turkish soldiers ready to support operation Al Bab". Yeni Şafak. 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Çobanbey'in ardından muhaliflerin yeni hedefi Cerablus". AJANS HABER. 9 April 2016.
  16. ^ "LIVE: Turkish military, coalition forces launch 'Euphrates Shield' operation in Jarablus". Hürriyet Daily News. 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  17. ^ Serhat Erkmen (1 September 2016). "Analiz: Fırat Kalkanı'nda bir haftalık bilanço". DW.
  18. ^ "Syria à la Carte: Turkish Invasion Highlights Rapidly Shifting Alliances-Maximilian Popp and Christoph Reuter". JK Alternative Viewpoint. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016.
  19. ^ "تعزية الفصائل العسكرية باستشهاد القائد العسكري للقوة المركزية في الفرقة13". Fastaqim Union on Twitter. 18 September 2016.
  20. ^ "Turkish-led forces capture first village in northern Syria". al-Masdar News. 24 August 2016. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  21. ^ "بيان تشكيل المجلس العسكري لمدينة أخترين و ريفها". YouTube. 3 October 2016.
  22. ^ "New rebel group formed in Idlib". AMN. 20 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  23. ^ Caleb Weiss (29 August 2016). "Two US-backed groups clash in northern Syria". The Long War Journal.
  24. ^ "US backing ensures Arab-Kurd alliance in Syria will survive". Al-Monitor. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  25. ^ "فرقة حلب الأولى - The first band of Aleppo". First Division of Aleppo on Facebook. 18 September 2016.
  26. ^ Christoph Ehrhardt (26 August 2016). "Krieg in Syrien - Die Trennlinien verschwimmen". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German).
  27. ^ a b Susan Fraser; Philip Issa (24 August 2016). "U.S. warplanes support Turkish tanks attacking Islamic State forces in Syria". Military Times.
  28. ^ "fouad sarkis on Twitter". Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  29. ^ a b c "With the launch of the third phase of Euphrates Shield, American advisors making their ranks". Al-Watan. 18 September 2016.
  30. ^ "Turkey bogged down in Syria as it realigns with Russia". AP News. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  31. ^ a b "Turkish-backed rebels push south in north Syria: Turkish army". Reuters. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  32. ^ الفصائل المدعمة بالدبابات التركية تسيطر على 5 قرى خلال الـ 24 ساعة الفائتة
  33. ^ "Factions continue the third phase of the military operations and control 9 villages since its start". SOHR. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  34. ^ Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Two Turkish soldiers die in northern Syria operation - security sources". Retrieved 26 September 2016. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  35. ^ Cite error: The named reference 60FSA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  36. ^ Cite error: The named reference tank was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  37. ^ Cite error: The named reference response was invoked but never defined (see the help page).