The Battle of al-Rai was fought in August 2016 between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the border town of al-Rai, part of the northern Aleppo Governorate on the border with Turkey, which resulted in the FSA capturing the town.
| Battle of al-Rai (August 2016) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Syrian Civil War | |||||||
.svg) Map of the greater campaign in the Aleppo Governorate which includes al-Rai | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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 Islamic State | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Ismail Ahwaz[2](FSA commander)  Saleh Zein[3](Sham Legion field commander)  Col. Ahmed Osman[4](Sultan Murad Division squad commander)  Lt. Col. Abdul Moneim[4](Northern Division commander) |
Unnamed ISIL leader (POW)[5] | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 10+ killed[6] | ||||||
Background
editOn 8 April 2016, rebels from the Hawar Kilis Operations Room 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.[3]
The battle
editOn 15 August 2016, after heavy artillery bombardment rebels began to storm the al-Rai grain silos and captured the silos along with several other positions.[7] However, they were forced to withdraw the next morning after an ISIL counterattack from the north which recaptured all the points ISIL lost.[8] Landmines played a role in slowing down the offensive.[2]
On 17 August, FSA fighters launched a second assault after targeting IS positions with rocket artillery, breaking through the first lines of defense and re-entering the town.[9] The FSA blew up 3 car bombs during the battle[10] and fully captured al-Rai and its border crossing later that day, taking a number of surrendering ISIL militants as prisoners of war.[5]
On the same day, the USAF operating as part of the CJTF-OIR conducted air support for the rebels during the battle by bombing several IS units near al-Rai.[11] Fighting continued in the outskirts of the town as ISIL retained its headquarters in nearby Dudyan.[2]
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.[12] However, the rebels repelled the attack on the town and claimed to have killed more than 10 IS fighters.[6] FSA fighters also recaptured the grain silos the next day.[4]
Aftermath
editOn 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, as the Turkish Armed Forces prepared for an attack on Jarabulus.[1]
Between 27 and 28 August, the rebels claimed to had capture three villages east of al-Rai.[13][14] However, it was reported that on 27 August, IS recaptured al-Rai.[15][16] The next day, al-Rai was once again reported to be rebel-held.[17] By 4 September, FSA captured all of the ISIL-controlled territory along the Turkish-Syrian border.[18]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Opposition groups are preparing to break into Jarabulus, northern Aleppo, from Turkey". ARA News. 20 August 2016. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
- ^ a b c "Lacking military coordination in battles against state regulation". Qasioun. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Factions of the opposition control grain near al-Rai in northern Aleppo". ARA News. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016.
- ^ a b c "After the capture of al-Rai, will Turkey force the FSA to fight in Jarabulus?". Al-Quds. 20 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Syria news today from Aleppo and Damascus: factions capture town in northern Aleppo countryside from Daesh". 24.com. 18 August 2016. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020.
- ^ a b "10 Daesh members killed while trying to break into northern Aleppo". All4Syria. 19 August 2016. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "Islamists fail to capture Al-Rai in northern Aleppo". Al-Masdar News. 16 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Daesh regain control of points it lost in the town of al-Rai in northern Aleppo". ARA News. 16 August 2016. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016.
- ^ "Syrian opposition entering the town of al-Rai on the border with Turkey". Sky News Arabia. 17 August 2016.
- ^ "The Syrian opposition take prisoners in the town of al-Rai, north of Aleppo". Qasioun. 18 August 2016. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
- ^ "Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria and Iraq" (PDF). Inherent Resolve. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- ^ "ISIS recaptures key town in northern Aleppo". Al-Masdar News. 19 August 2016. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
- ^ "FSA advanced from al-Rai town and took control of Haddabat and Thaljat Gharbi village". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "FSA capture Sheikh/Mulla Ya'qub east of al-Ra'i". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ Keating, Fiona (27 August 2016). "Isis recaptures Syrian border town al-Rai after defeat in Jarablus by Turkish-backed rebels". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ Charkatli, Izat (27 August 2016). "ISIS recaptures Al-Rai following massive attack". Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "Peto Lucem on Twitter". Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ IS is losing connection with the international world and being besieged inside the Syrian lands SOHR (4 September 2016)