The Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign of the Syrian civil war consists of several battles and offensives fought across the governorate of Syria:
- Deir ez-Zor clashes (2011–2014)
- Battle of Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017)
- 2016 Abu Kamal offensive
- Raqqa campaign (2016–2017) (the SDF first entered Deir ez-Zor Governorate)
- Syrian Desert campaign (December 2016–April 2017)
- Deir ez-Zor campaign (2017–2019)
- Eastern Syria campaign (September–December 2017)
- Deir ez-Zor Governorate clashes (April 2018)
- Deir ez-Zor offensive (May–June 2018)
- Iranian strike on Hajin
- Deir ez-Zor clashes (2023)
Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign | |||||||||
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Part of the Syrian Civil War | |||||||||
Map of Syria with Deir ez-Zor Governorate highlighted. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Syrian government Hezbollah PMF-affiliated militias Iran Russia (2015–2017) Iraq (2017–2019) |
Rojava (2016–2019) Iraq (2018–19) CJTF–OIR (2017–2019) | Islamic State |
Free Syrian Army Tahrir al-Sham (2019)[1] | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
See below |
Order of battle
editPro-government forces
edit- Syrian Armed Forces
- Syrian Army
- 1st Armoured Division
- 3rd Armoured Division
- 4th Armoured Division
- 38th Brigade
- 5th Corps
- 17th Division
- 18th Armoured Division
- 137th Brigade
- Republican Guard
- 104th Brigade
- 800th Regiment
- Tiger Forces
- Syrian Air Force
- National Defence Forces
- Syrian Army
- Military Intelligence Directorate
- Lebanese Hezbollah[7]
- Syrian Hezbollah
- Russian Armed Forces
- Russian Ground Forces
- 29th Army
- 200th Artillery Brigade[10]
- Special Operations Forces[11]
- 29th Army
- Russian Aerospace Forces
- Russian Navy
- Russian Ground Forces
- Wagner Group
- 5 Storm unit[12]
PMF-affiliated militias
- Kata'ib al-Imam Ali
- Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
- 12th Mechanized Brigade
- Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
- Kata'ib Hezbollah
- Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
- Kafeel Zaynab Brigade
Iraq (since 2017, against ISIS only)
Other armed groups:
- Shabiha (2011–12, merged into NDF)
- Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas (2011–14, rebel claim)[14]
- Foreign Shia groups
- Syrian Resistance
- Falcons of the Jazira and Euphrates[16]
- Palestinian groups
- Sootoro[20][21]
- Allied local tribes
Rebel forces
edit- Free Syrian Army/SNC-aligned units[22]
The rebel units in eastern Syria were originally largely independent and unorganized, until many accepted the authority of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNC) in late 2012. The authority of the SNC remained mostly nominal, however, and by late 2013 this alliance already began to disintegrate again.[22]
- 3rd Infantry Division
- 4th Infantry Division
- 5th Commando Division
- 7th Division
- 11th Division
- Liwa Jund al-Rahman
- Liwa Chouhada' Deïr ez-Zor
- Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade
- Liwa al-Khadra'
- Liwa al-Abbas
- Liwa al-Qadisiya
- Liwa al-Muhajirin ila Allah
- Lions of Al Jazeera[23]
- Retribution Army[24][25]
- Al-Tawhid Brigade[26]
Over time, several units left the SNC alliance due to differences, and formed new, often more Islamist coalitions. Nevertheless, these new alliances generally remained allied with the council.
- Harakat Abna' al-Islam
- Jaysh Al-Tawhid (also member of the Syrian Islamic Front)
- Kata'ib al-Ansar
- Kata'ib al-Sa’iqa
- Jaysh Ahl as-Sunna wa-l-Jama’a (formed from former Authenticity and Development Front member groups)
- Liwa al-Athar
- Liwa Usud as-Sunna
- Liwa Ahl al-Raya
- Jabhat al-Jihad wal-Bina' al-Islamiyya (under command of the Islamic Court of Deir ez-Zor)
- Liwa Jaf’ar al-Tayyar
- Liwa la Ilaha illa Allah
- Liwa al-Hawaz, Liwa Ibn Qiam
- Liwa al-Risalla
- Liwa al-Tawhid al-Islami
- Liwa Othman bin Afan
- Liwa Ahfad Mohammad
- Liwa Sarayat al-Rasoul
- Liwa Sadiq al-Amin
- Tajamm’u al-Rachidin
- Brigade of al-Qaka[27]
- Radical jihadists
Besides the SNC and the allied Islamist coalitions, there were also number of radical jihadist groups active in Deir ez-Zor; though they normally also cooperated with other, more moderate rebels, they also worked with the Islamic State, especially in Deir ez-Zor's hinterland.[28][22]
- Al-Nusra Front[29][22][28]
- Liwa al-Fatihoun min Ard ash-Sham[22]
- Ahrar al-Sham[22]
SDF forces and allies
editAutonomous Administration of North and East Syria (since 2016)
- Syrian Democratic Forces
- People's Protection Units (YPG)
- Women's Protection Units (YPJ)
- Deir ez-Zor Military Council
- Gathering of al-Baggara Youth[31]
- Khabat al-Sha'iti Battalion[32]
- Hajin battalion[32]
- Al-Sanadid Forces[33]
- Manbij Military Council[34]
- Manbij Revolutionaries Battalion[35]
- Martyr Abdo Dushka Regiment[36]
- Army of Revolutionaries[37]
- Northern Democratic Brigade[37]
- Syriac Military Council (MFS)[38]
- Special Forces unit[39]
- Nattoreh[40]
- Federal security forces
International Freedom Battalion (IFB)
Foreign support:
- CJTF–OIR
- United States
- United Kingdom[46]
- British Armed Forces
- Royal Air Force[47]
- British Army
- Special Air Service (unconfirmed by authorities)[48][49]
- British Armed Forces
- France[50]
- Netherlands
- Denmark (2016)
- Australia (2016)
- Iraq (minor cross border support since 2018, against ISIS only)[55]
- Russia (air support since 2018, against ISIS only)[57]
Pro-ISIS forces
editIslamic State (IS)
- Military of ISIS
- Wilayat al-Khayr (until 2018)
- Wilayat al-Sham (since 2018)[58]
- al-Barakah district (2016–2019)
- al-Khayr district (2018–19)
- al-Furat district (2018–19)
References
edit- ^ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2wes2RWoAU8mer.png [bare URL image file]
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- ^ "Islamic State group defeated as final territory lost, US-backed forces say". BBC News. 23 March 2019.
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- ^ "Relatives and friends of Wagner mercenaries we named earlier confirm to @ru_rbc they indeed had been killed in Syria". 12 February 2018.
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- ^ "Syrian government closes in on opposition stronghold in Yabroud". Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
- ^ Christoph Reuter. American Fury: The Truth About the Russian Deaths in Syria: Hundreds of Russian soldiers are alleged to have died in U.S. airstrikes at the beginning of February. Reporting by DER SPIEGEL shows that events were likely very different. Der Spiegel, 2 March 2018.
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- ^ "Pro-regime Palestinian militia mourns 14 members killed by ISIS". Zaman al-Wasl. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ "Member of "Fath Al-Intefada" dies in clashes and "Free Palestine Movement" sends its members to support the regime in it". Action Group for Palestinians of Syria. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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- ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference
leverrier-8dec13
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Abu Ghanam
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Factions of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab)". Syria Comment. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ Hannah Lucinda Smith (17 June 2014). "ISIS, Syrian government continue siege of Deir Ezzor". Asharq Al-Awsat. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ Metzger, Nils (28 March 2013). "Bürgerkrieg in Syria: Jedem seine eigene Rebellengruppe" [Civil war in Syria: Everyone has their own rebel group]. TAZ (in German). Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Rebels fighting against al-Assad rule fragmented, disorganized in Syria" (PDF). Hürriyet Daily News. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ a b Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (27 June 2013). "Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham: Deir ez-Zor and the wider east of Syria". Jihadology. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- ^ Siddique, Haroon; Whitaker, Brian (31 July 2012). "Syrian rebels 'overrun Aleppo police stations'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ "Spanish warrior fighting with Syrian Kurds killed in battle against IS". Ekurd. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "The Gathering of Al-Bakkara Youth continues their battle and get closer to the hometown of the Sheikh of Bakkara". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 10 September 2017.
- ^ a b Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (28 September 2018). "Hajin in Deir az-Zor: Interview". Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ RojavaCudi. "Rojava Resistance on Twitter: "Video of #SDF forces (YPG/J and al Sanadid) clashing with #ISIS and calling in airstrikes north of Hajin‌ "". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
- ^ Eric Schmitt; Rod Rordland (28 February 2018). "Amid Turkish Assault, Kurdish Forces Are Drawn Away From U.S. Fight With ISIS". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
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- ^ "قواتنا تتمكن من تفجير سيارة ذخيرة لداعش في دير الزور 24/2/2019". YouTube. 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
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- ^ SyriacMilitaryMFS (2018-10-29). "#Syriac Military Council, MFS also is sending special forces as reinforcements with the SDF amid ongoing hard battle against ISIS in the various fronts in the Deir ez Zor region for the total liberation of the area and safety of the population with @coalition & @CENTCOM.‌ https://t.co/MkJjHn0Vng". Twitter. Twitter.com. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
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- ^ Wladimir van Wilgenburg (18 March 2019). "Italian volunteer killed in fight against ISIS". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
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