Al-Shaddadah or al-Shaddadi ( ar, ٱلشَّدَّادَة \ ٱلشَّدَّادِي, aš-Šaddādah / aš-Šaddādī) is a town in southern

al-Hasakah Governorate Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, syc, ܗܘܦܪܟܝܐ ܕܚܣܟܗ, Huparkiyo d'Ḥasake, also known as syc, ܓܙܪܬܐ, Gozarto) is one of the fourteen governorates (prov ...

, northeastern

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. The town is the

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...

of the

al-Shaddadah Subdistrict Al-Shaddadah Subdistrict ( ar, ناحية الشدادي) is a subdistrict of al-Hasakah District in southern al-Hasakah Governorate Al-Hasakah Governorate ( ar, محافظة الحسكة, Muḥāfaẓat al-Ḥasakah, ku, Parêzgeha Hesekê}, ...

, which consists of 16 municipalities. At the 2004 census, al-Shaddadah had a population of 15,806.

Name and geography

The town's name might be derived from "Shadadu"; a governor of the district of "Suru" mentioned in the annals of the Assyria king

Assurnasirpal II Ashur-nasir-pal II (transliteration: ''Aššur-nāṣir-apli'', meaning " Ashur is guardian of the heir") was king of Assyria from 883 to 859 BC. Ashurnasirpal II succeeded his father, Tukulti-Ninurta II, in 883 BC. During his reign he embarked ...

. The town is situated off the western bank of the Khabur River. Nearby localities include

al-Sabaa wa Arbain Al-Sabaa wa Arbain ( ar, السبعة وأربعين, as-Sabʿa wa-ʾArbaʿīn) is a town in southern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. Administratively the town belongs to the Nahiya al-Shaddadah of al-Hasakah District Al-Hasakah Dis ...

to the west.

Civil war

In the course of the civil war, the city was attacked by the

al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra ( ar, جبهة النصرة لأهل الشام, Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahl ish-Sham lit. ''Front of the Supporters of the People of Syria/the Levant''), known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham ( ar, جبهة فتح ال ...

in the February 2013 Battle of Shaddadi and was captured three days later. According to the

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , image = Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Logo.jpg , image_size = 200px , caption = The logo of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , type = NGO , founded_date = , founder ...

, over 100

Syrian Army " (''Guardians of the Homeland'') , colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive * Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki , anniversaries = August 1st , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War Six ...

soldiers and 40 al-Nusra fighters were killed, as well as dozens of petroleum workers. The city was later taken by the

Islamic State An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

and remained one of the last IS strongholds in the province. When in October 2015, the Kurdish-majority

YPG The People's Defense Units (YPG), (YPG) ; ar, وحدات حماية الشعب, Waḥdāt Ḥimāyat aš-Šaʽb) also called People's Protection Units, is a mainly-Kurds in Syria, Kurdish militia in Syria and the primary component of the ...

and their multiethnic partners, including the

al-Sanadid Forces The Forces of the Brave ( ar, جيش الصناديد / قوات الصناديد, translit=Quwwāt aṣ-Ṣanādīd / Jayš aṣ-Ṣanādīd), generally called the al-Sanadid Forces, are a militia formed by the Arab Shammar tribe to fight agains ...

of the Arab

Shammar The tribe of Shammar ( ar, شَمَّر, Šammar) is a tribal Arab Qahtan confederation, descended from the Yemeni tribe of Tayy as they originated in Yemen before migrating into present day Saudi Arabia, It is the biggest branch of Tayy tribe. I ...

tribe, joined forces to form the SDF , al-Sanadid leader Bandar al-Humaydi made it an "immediate priority to liberate

al-Hawl Al-Hawl ( ar-at, ٱلْهَوْل, al-Hawl, lit="swampland"), also spelled al-Hole, al-Hol, al-Hool and al-Houl, is a town in eastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria, under control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syr ...

and al-Shaddadah from the

.” On 24 November, it became known that Islamic State militants were transferring their family members further south to the

Deir ez-Zor Governorate Deir ez-Zor Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة دير الزور / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Dayr az-Zawr'') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in eastern Syria, bordering Iraq. It has an area of 33,060 km2 ( ...

. After the SDF captured the South Hasakah Dam on 30 November, they continued their offensive southward, towards the city of al-Shaddadah, now IS's last stronghold in al-Hasakah province.Inside The War Against ISIS
/ref> Subsequently, Arab tribal leaders reportedly urged IS to withdraw from the city "peacefully," in order to prevent civilian casualties and the possible collapse of al-Shaddadi's economic infrastructure, if a destructive battle between the SDF/coalition forces and the Islamic State were to occur. It was also reported that IS was beginning to evacuate some of its positions near al-Shaddadi. On 19 February 2016, the town was captured by the SDF. On 21 January 2019, US and SDF forces were attacked by a

VBIED A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...

. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through an affiliated news service. An American presence continues to exist in the town, including helicopter forces.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaddadah Populated places in al-Hasakah District Towns in al-Hasakah Governorate