The Battle of al-Rai was a battle fought in August 2016 between the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...

(FSA) and the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant 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 ...

in the

border town A border town is a town or city close to the boundary between two countries, states, or regions. Usually the term implies that the nearness to the border is one of the things the place is most famous for. With close proximities to a different coun ...

of al-Rai, part of the northern

Aleppo Governorate Aleppo Governorate ( ar, محافظة حلب / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab'' / ) is one of the fourteen 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 ...

on the border with Turkey, which resulted in the FSA capturing the town.

Background

On 8 April 2016, rebels from the

Hawar Kilis Operations Room The Hawar Kilis Operations Room ( ar, غرفة عمليات حوار كلس, tr, Havar Kilis Operasyon Odası) is a Syrian rebel coalition formed in the village of Hawar Kilis in April 2016 in the northern Aleppo Governorate on the Syria–Turk ...

captured al-Rai and more than a dozen other villages, but withdrew after an ISIL counter-offensive 3 days later that recaptured almost all the villages they have lost. The rebels also briefly took over the town for a few hours in June before being driven out.

The battle

On 15 August 2016, after heavy

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

bombardment rebels began to storm the al-Rai

grain silo A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legumes ...

s and captured the silos along with several other positions. However, they were forced to withdraw the next morning after an ISIL counterattack from the north which recaptured all the points ISIL lost.

Landmine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

s played a role in slowing down the offensive. On 17 August, FSA fighters launched a second assault after targeting IS positions with

rocket artillery Rocket artillery is artillery that uses rocket explosives as the projectile. The use of rocket artillery dates back to medieval China where devices such as fire arrows were used (albeit mostly as a psychological weapon). Fire arrows were also us ...

, breaking through the first lines of defense and re-entering the town. The FSA blew up 3

car bomb 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 ...

s during the battle and fully captured al-Rai and its

border crossing Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

later that day, taking a number of surrendering ISIL militants as

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. On the same day, the

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

operating as part of the CJTF-OIR conducted

air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement ...

for the rebels during the battle by bombing several IS units near al-Rai. Fighting continued in the outskirts of the town as ISIL retained its headquarters in nearby Dudyan. Due to the short time given to rebels to fortify the area, IS launched a rapid counter-offensive from the east on 19 August and recaptured the grain silos and nearby hilltops. However, the rebels repelled the attack on the town and claimed to have killed more than 10 IS fighters. FSA fighters also recaptured the grain silos the next day.

Aftermath

On 20 August, a large number of rebels and a military convoy containing more than 50 vehicles loaded with heavy and medium weapons from al-Rai were transferred to the Turkish border with

Jarabulus Jarabulus ( ar, جَرَابُلُس / ALA-LC: ''Jarābulus'', Aleppo dialect: ''Jrāblos''; tr, Cerablus) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Aleppo Governorate, under the de-facto control of the Syrian Opposition. Jarabulus lies on ...

, as the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; tr, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri, TSK) are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. Turkish Armed Forces consist of the General Staff, the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The current Chi ...

prepared for an attack on Jarabulus. Between 27 and 28 August, the rebels claimed to had capture three villages east of al-Rai. However, it was reported that on 27 August, IS recaptured al-Rai. The next day, al-Rai was once again reported to be rebel-held. By 4 September, FSA captured all of the ISIL-controlled territory along the Turkish-Syrian border.IS is losing connection with the international world and being besieged inside the Syrian lands
SOHR (4 September 2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of al-Rai (2016 08) al-Rai al-Rai Aleppo Governorate in the Syrian civil war Al-Bab District al-Rai al-Rai al-Rai August 2016 events in Syria al-Rai