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The Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (June 2016) was a military operation launched in June 2016 by the
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 ...
with the stated goal of recapturing
Raqqa Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish languages, Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. T ...
, the capital of 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 ...
. The battle resulted in an Islamic State victory, after a series of counterattacks caused the Syrian Army to withdraw from the positions it had retaken in western
Raqqa Governorate Raqqa Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة الرقة, Muḥāfaẓat ar-Raqqah) is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is situated in the north of the country and covers an area of 19,618 km2. The capital is Raqqa. The Islamic State of ...
.


Background

The offensive took place soon after two US-supported
Syrian Democratic Forces , war = the Syrian Civil War , image = Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svgborder , caption = Flag , active = 10 October 2015 – present , ideology = DemocracyDecentralizationSecularism ...
offensives were launched. One was in Northern Raqqa with the goal of recapturing the northern
Raqqa Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish languages, Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. T ...
countryside, in preparation for a future offensive on the city. The second was launched towards the city of Manbij.


The offensive


First week

On 2 June, Syrian government forces began the offensive at a distance of 120 kilometers from Raqqa. They quickly advanced 20 kilometers and captured the Abu al-Zein mountains and the al-Masbah area, (less than 100 kilometers from Raqqa). The next day, government troops captured the Zakiyah crossroad on the Hama-Raqqa provincial border, bringing them to within 47 kilometers from the ISIL-controlled
Tabqa Air base Tabaqah or Tabqa may refer to: * Tabqa Dam, a dam on the Euphrates River * At Tabqah, now known as Al-Thawrah, a city in Syria near the Tabqa Dam * At-Tabaqa, a Palestinian village near Hebron * Tabaqa, Jordan, an archeological site; see Natufian ...
. Advances were hampered by ISIL's roadside bombs. Between 3 and 4 June, the Syrian Army returned to the
Raqqa Governorate Raqqa Governorate ( ar, مُحافظة الرقة, Muḥāfaẓat ar-Raqqah) is one of the fourteen governorates of Syria. It is situated in the north of the country and covers an area of 19,618 km2. The capital is Raqqa. The Islamic State of ...
for the first time since 2014, and captured the first village inside the province (Abu Allaj), 35–40 kilometers from Tabqa. The offensive was temporarily halted on 4 June due to a sandstorm, but continued several hours later. During this time, an ISIL counter-attack recaptured Abu Allaj village. The next day, the Syrian Army seized Tal SyriaTel hill, ISIL's last line of defense before the village, and soon after Abu Allaj was recaptured. Later that evening, the Syrian Army seized another village. By 6 June, the military had advanced to within 24 kilometers of
Tabqa Dam The Tabqa Dam ( ar, سَدُّ الطَّبْقَةِ, Sadd aṭ-Ṭabqah, ku, Bendava Tebqa; syc, ܣܟܪܐ ܕܛܒܩܗ, Sekro d'Tabqa), or al-Thawra Dam as it is also named ( ar, سَدُّ الثَّوْرَةِ, Sadd aṯ-Ṯawrah, ku, Bendav ...
and
Lake Assad Lake Assad ( ar, بحيرة الأسد, ''Buhayrat al-Assad'') is a reservoir on the Euphrates in Raqqa Governorate, Syria. It was created in 1974 when construction of the Tabqa Dam was completed. Lake Assad is Syria's largest lake, with a maxim ...
, captured two more villages 30 kilometers from the air base, and was fighting at the al-Rasafeh crossroad and Raqqa international highway's police station. Meanwhile, ISIL launched a counter-attack at
Ithriyah Ithriya ( ar, أثريا), Roman "Seriana". is a Syrian village located in Al-Saan Nahiyah in Salamiyah District, Hama. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Ithriya had a population of 2118 in the 2004 census. History ...
, with the
SOHR , 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 ...
reporting that the jihadists had cut the road between
Salamiyah A full view of Shmemis (spring 1995) Salamieh ( ar, سلمية ') is a city and district in western Syria, in the Hama Governorate. It is located southeast of Hama, northeast of Homs. The city is nicknamed the "mother of Cairo" because it was t ...
and Ithriyah, while
Al-Manar Al-Manar ( ar, المنار, ''al-Manār'', lit='' The Lighthouse'') is a Lebanese satellite television station owned and operated by the political party Hezbollah,
stated the attack had been repelled. On 7 June, the Syrian military was fighting 25 kilometers south of Tabqa in the al-Rasafeh area.


Second week

The Syrian Army reached the al-Rasafeh crossroad on June 8, and took control of the area two days later, with government forces being 15–20 kilometers from Tabqa. During the advance the military also seized the nearby oil fields. Throughout the day, tens of Russian and Syrian air-strikes hit ISIL positions at Tabqa. On 11 June, five ISIL teenage suicide bombers attacked Army positions at the al-Rasafeh crossroad. Four bombers managed to blow themselves up, killing 8–16 soldiers, while the fifth, who was a 13-year-old boy, was captured. Meanwhile, the military was reportedly just several kilometers from the air base and waiting for reinforcements before attacking the base. On 12 June, the Army advanced within six kilometers west of the al-Rasafeh district, south of Raqqa. Shortly after midnight on 13 June, an ISIL assault, including a suicide truck-bomber, was launched against Abu Allaj. The attack was eventually repelled.


Third week

After being stalled 15 kilometers from the air base for more than one week, the offensive was restarted on 19 June, and the Army quickly advanced to within seven kilometers of the base. During the advance, they captured the nearby Thawra oil field. However, later that day, an ISIL attack involving three suicide car-bombers pushed back the military and recaptured the oil field. 12 hours later, the next day, the Army launched a new assault towards the Thawrah oil field and managed, once again, to advance to less than seven or eight kilometers from the air base after taking back Thawrah. However, a new ISIL counter-attack later in the day recaptured both the Thawrah and Sfaiyeh oil fields, as well as the al-Rasafeh crossroad, pushing back the Army to the border of Raqqa province, 40 kilometers from the air base. In the evening, ISIL recaptured the village of Khirbat Zeidan, coming within striking distance of the Army’s positions at Albu Allaj. The Syrian Army withdrew from Albu Allaj and the Rasafeh crossroad on 20 June. In course of the withdrawal, ISIL overran positions of Syrian Army and the government forces suffered heavy casualties, with 29 confirmed killed, 49 wounded and dozens missing-in-action, likely killed or captured. Among those killed was Major General Hassan Saado, who was the chief-of-staff of the 10th Mechanized Division. On 22 June, they withdrew from their final points in western Raqqa including Zakiyah crossroad and SyriaTel Hill, bringing the offensive to an end.


See also

*
Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (February–March 2016) The Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (February–March 2016) was a military operation conducted by the Syrian Arab Army against ISIL, during the Syrian Civil War, with the aim of reaching the ISIL-held Al-Tabqa Military Airport. The offensive On the m ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ithriyah-Raqqa offensive (June 2016-present) Military operations of the Syrian civil war in 2016 Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Raqqa Governorate in the Syrian civil war June 2016 events in Syria Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Syrian government Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving Russia