The Battle of Markada (also spelled "Markadah" or "Markadahin")[4] was a military confrontation between two jihadist groups, al Qaeda's al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), over the town of Markada in the Al-Hasakah Governorate, in March 2014 during the Syrian civil war.[3] The strategic importance of the town to the ISIL lay in its position on the group's weapons supply route from Iraq, the road linking Al-Hasakah with Deir ez-Zor and a hill that dominates the surrounding area.[5] On the ISIL side there were many Sunni Iranians, including Kurds, who played an important role in the battle.[6]
| Battle of Markada | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 al Nusra Front |
 Katiba al-Bittar al-Libi | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Abu Mohammad al-Julani (Leader of the Al-Nusra Front) |
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Leader of ISIL) Omar al-Farouk al-Turki † (Top provincial ISIL commander)[2] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 120 killed[3] | |||||||
Battle
editThe battle started on 21 March 2014,[3] with fighting near Markada's grain silos that left 27 al-Nusra Front fighters dead and others missing.[7]
On the morning of 27 March, ISIL attacked the town, which was being held by the al-Nusra Front. ISIL managed to force al-Nusra to withdraw to the town's hospital and the mountain overlooking Markada.[8]
Before dawn on 29 March, clashes erupted in the town[9] as ISIL attacked the hospital and al-Nusra positions in the mountain.[8] After heavy fighting that left 43 al-Nusra and 13 ISIL fighters dead,[7] ISIL took full control of the town[2] as al-Nusra forces retreated towards the town of al-Sour in the eastern rural area of Deir ez-Zor province. Many al-Nusra fighters were also captured.[10] Among those killed was also the top provincial ISIL commander,[2] Omar al-Farouk al-Turki.[8]
On 31 March, al-Nusra launched a counterattack in an attempt to recapture the town.[7] By this time, the number of those killed since the start of the fighting had risen to 120.[3]
References
edit- ^ Nance (2016), pp. 54–55.
- ^ a b c d "ISIS seizes town from Nusra in Hassakeh province". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Syrian army retakes key post in regime bastion Latakia". Your Middle East. 31 March 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ Nance (2016), p. 55.
- ^ "At least 52 dead fighters from the front and the victory of the Islamic State". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ A history of support for Kurdish extremists comes back to haunt Tehran
- ^ a b c "Syria killed 30 Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant Brive-Hasakah". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ a b c "Organization "Daash" controlled Mrkdh, and mourns his military commander in the Al-Hasakah". كلنا شركاء في الوطن. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "A bomb explosion in Deir al-Zour and clashes in Al-Hasakah". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
- ^ "ISIS kills 35 fighters from Jabhat Al-Nusra and Islamic battalions". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
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