The 2016 Dabiq offensive was a

military offensive An offensive is a military operation that seeks through an aggressive projection of armed forces to occupy territory, gain an objective or achieve some larger strategic, operational, or tactical goal. Another term for an offensive often used by t ...

and part of the third phase of

Operation Euphrates Shield Operation Euphrates Shield ( tr, Fırat Kalkanı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces in the Syrian Civil War which led to the Turkish occupation of northern Syria. Operations were carried out ...

launched by 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 ...

and factions from 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, a Syrian rebel group) and allied groups, with the goal of capturing the town of Dabiq, north of

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

from

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

(ISIL).Turkish-backed rebels 3km from strategic Dabiq, northern Syria
/ref> It began in September and resulted in the capture of Dabiq by Turkish/FSA-allied forces on 16 October.

Background

In anticipation of the offensive, ISIL reinforced Dabiq with 800 fighters. An ISIL defeat at Dabiq was seen as a potential ideological blow since it has a central place in ISIL's interpretation of

Muslim theology Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding ''ʿaqīdah'' (creed). The main schools of Islamic Theology include the Qadariyah, Falasifa, Jahmiyya, Murji'ah, Muʿtazila, Bati ...

. According to ISIL, a battle at Dabiq between Islamic and "infidel" Christian forces would herald the beginning of the

apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

. The beginning of the Turkish military intervention in Syria also correlates to the 500th anniversary of the

Battle of Marj Dabiq The Battle of Marj Dābiq ( ar, مرج دابق, meaning "the meadow of Dābiq"; tr, Mercidabık Muharebesi), a decisive military engagement in Middle Eastern history, was fought on 24 August 1516, near the town of Dabiq, 44 km north of ...

, when the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

led by

Selim I Selim I ( ota, سليم الأول; tr, I. Selim; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute ( tr, links=no, Yavuz Sultan Selim), was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite last ...

entered northern Aleppo at Dabiq and conquered much of northern Syria.

The offensive

First week

On 28 September, the Turkish military stated that it destroyed an ISIL command post, a weapons dump and an ammunition depot in the Ihtemlat and Uwayshiyyah areas of

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 ...

, while 82 targets were struck by shells. It also stated that the rebels recaptured the Al Eyyubiyah residential area of al-Rai, while ISIL temporarily recaptured the Tal-ar area, before rebel and Turkish forces once again seized it in addition to

Ziadiyah Ziadiyah ( ar, زيادية, az-Ziyādīyah) is a town in northern Aleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria. It is located on the Queiq Plain, between Akhtarin and al-Rai, about northeast of the city of Aleppo, and south of the border to the Tur ...

. Between 29 September and 2 October, the rebels captured seven more villages from ISIL and had started advancing on Dabiq, with troops from

U.S. Special Forces The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, are a special operations special operations force, force of the United States Ar ...

reported to be among them. By this point, the rebel and Turkish force was some three kilometers from Dabiq. On 3 October, advancing rebel forces ran into hundreds of landmines at the village of

Turkman Bareh Turkman Bareh ( ar, تركمان بارح, Turkumān Bāriḩ), alternatively spelled Barih, is a town in northern Aleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria. About northeast of the city of Aleppo and about south of Syria's border with Turkey, it ...

, on the way to Dabiq, leaving 15–21 rebels dead and another 29–35 wounded. Between 4 and 5 October, rebels captured Turkman Bareh and five more villages, including three to the east of

Akhtarin Akhtarin ( ar, أخترين, Akhtarīn) is a town in northern Aleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria. The largest town and administrative centre of Nahiya Akhtarin of the A'zaz District has a population of 5,305 in the 2004 census. Located northe ...

. Meanwhile, Turkish fighter jets reportedly killed a regional ISIL commander in air-strikes near Akhtarin and al-Qubtan.

Second week

The town of Akhtarin was captured by the rebels on 6 October. An ISIL counter-attack two days later briefly recaptured the town, along with four other villages, including Turkman Bareh, before reportedly being repelled. According to the Turkish military, 38 ISIL militants were killed in clashes and airstrikes during 8 to 9 October. Between 9 and 11 October, the rebels captured 17 villages from ISIL, bringing them within two and a half kilometers of Dabiq. 30 rebels and 20 ISIL fighters were killed during the fighting.50 killed during clashes around Dabeq between rebels and IS
/ref> However, a subsequent ISIL counter-attack on 11 October, recaptured two villages. The Turkish military reported it had destroyed 98 ISIL targets during the clashes. Meanwhile, activists and eyewitnesses reported that shelling carried out by the rebels and Turkish Army on ISIL-held Duwaybiq village resulted in the deaths of at least 10 civilians and wounded many others.

Third week

On 12 October, the rebels captured Duwaybiq and also retook a village they lost the previous day. Meanwhile, the Turkish military stated that 109 militants had been killed and 77 ISIL targets destroyed between 11 and 13 October, with 10 rebels also being killed and at least 22 wounded in the clashes. On 15 October, the rebels captured three more villages, with Dabiq at this point being almost fully surrounded. The next day, both Dabiq, the nearby town of Sawran and seven other villages were seized by the rebels.After 24 of Siege, the IS pulls back from Dabeq strategic town
/ref>

References

External links

''Kadri Gursel:'' "Turkey faces decision over boots on the ground in Syria", ''Al-Monitor'', 27 September 2016
{{DEFAULTSORT:2016 al-Bab offensive Military operations of the Syrian civil war in 2016 Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving Turkey Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Free Syrian Army Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the United States Aleppo Governorate in the Syrian civil war Turkey–ISIL conflict Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant September 2016 events in Syria October 2016 events in Syria