Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign

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 Governorate campaign
Part of the Syrian Civil War

Map of Syria with Deir ez-Zor Governorate highlighted.
Date26 November 2011 – ongoing
(7 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 4 days)
Location
Status
  • Siege of Deir ez-Zor broken in September 2017.[1]
  • SAA captures the city of Deir ez-Zor by November 2017.
  • SDF captures the majority of the Euphrates' eastern bank.
  • Eventual territorial defeat of ISIS by March 2019.[2]
  • Continued IS low-level insurgency
  • Sporadic conflict between the SAA and SDF.
Belligerents

  • Against IS only:
     Iraq

  • Anti-SDF forces

Syrian opposition MaT
CJTF–OIR


  • Against IS only:
     Iraq

 Islamic State
Units involved
See below

Order of battle

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Pro-government forces

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  Syrian government

  Hezbollah

  Russia (since 2015)

  Iran (since 2013)

  PMF-affiliated militias

  Iraq (since 2017, against ISIS only)

Other armed groups:

Rebel forces

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  Free Syrian Army/SNC-aligned units[21]

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.[21]

   Mujahideen and Islamists[21]

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 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[26]
  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.[27][21]

SDF forces and allies

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  Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (since 2016)

  International Freedom Battalion (IFB)

Foreign support:

Pro-ISIS forces

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  Islamic State (IS)

References

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  1. ^ "Syrian army breaks three-year siege of Deir ez-Zor". BBC News. 5 September 2017.
  2. ^ "Islamic State group defeated as final territory lost, US-backed forces say". BBC News. 23 March 2019.
  3. ^ Rami Zien (10 September 2017). "Eastern Hama ISIS Pocket Shrinking Under Regime Fire". Qasioun News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  4. ^ Talal Kharrat (13 September 2017). "Nawaf Al-Bashir Enters Deir Ezzor Accompanied By Liwa Al-Baqir Militias". Qasioun News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  5. ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (14 February 2016). "Liwa Usud al-Hussein: A New Pro-Assad Militia in Latakia". Syria Comment. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b "9 Militants and an Officer of the Syrian regime and Hezbollah militia were killed in rural Homs". Al-Dorar al-Shamia. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Hezbollah mourns 26 fighters, including elite commander". Zaman al-Wasl. 2 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  8. ^ "REPORT: Hezbollah Rocket Division commander killed in Syria".
  9. ^ "И снова ЧВК Вагнера. Как Россия воюет в Сирии".
  10. ^ Lyse Doucet (25 August 2017). "Syria war: Meeting Syria's generals in the desert". BBC. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Relatives and friends of Wagner mercenaries we named earlier confirm to @ru_rbc they indeed had been killed in Syria". 12 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Iraq conducts first airstrikes against ISIS in Syria". CNN. February 24, 2017.
  13. ^ "Syrian government closes in on opposition stronghold in Yabroud". Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (10 August 2017). "Suqur al-Furat: A Pro-Assad Sha'itat Tribal Militia". Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  16. ^ "Pro-regime Palestinian militia mourns 14 members killed by ISIS". Zaman al-Wasl. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ "Member of Free Palestine Movement killed in Deir ez-Zor". Action Group for Palestinians of Syria. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  19. ^ Leith Fadel (15 May 2017). "Pro-government Assyrian forces arrive in Deir Ezzor for offensive". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  20. ^ "Sectarian militias brought by the regime to fight in Deir al-Zour". El-Dorar Al-Shamia. 15 May 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference leverrier-8dec13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference Abu Ghanam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ "The Factions of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab)". Syria Comment. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "Rebels fighting against al-Assad rule fragmented, disorganized in Syria" (PDF). Hürriyet Daily News. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ Siddique, Haroon; Whitaker, Brian (31 July 2012). "Syrian rebels 'overrun Aleppo police stations'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  29. ^ "Spanish warrior fighting with Syrian Kurds killed in battle against IS". Ekurd. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  30. ^ "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.
  31. ^ a b Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (28 September 2018). "Hajin in Deir az-Zor: Interview". Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ Etienne Monin (18 February 2019). "Des civils quittent Baghouz, dernier réduit du "califat": "Si tu es passée par ici, tu es sur la liste noire pour le reste de ta vie"" [Civilians leave Baghouz, the last cut of the "caliphate": "If you've been here, you're on the black list for the rest of your life"]. Radio France (in French). Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  35. ^ "‫قواتنا تتمكن من تفجير سيارة ذخيرة لداعش في دير الزور 24/2/2019". YouTube. 2019-02-24. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  36. ^ a b c ""We will withdraw our forces from east of Euphrates, send them to the fronts of Afrin"". Hawar News Agency. 6 March 2018. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018.
  37. ^ "Syriac commander: Our forces effectively participate in al-Jazeera Tempest". Hawar News Agency. 30 November 2017. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ Agiri Ibrahim (5 October 2017). "NATURO participate in al-Jazeera Tempest". Hawar News Agency. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  40. ^ "Self-Defense Duty fighters: we willingly join al-Jazeera Tempest". Hawar News Agency. 20 September 2017. Archived from the original on 21 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  41. ^ "A thousand civilians rescued in Deir ez-Zor operation". YPG. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  42. ^ Wladimir van Wilgenburg (18 March 2019). "Italian volunteer killed in fight against ISIS". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  43. ^ "SDF militias Finishing up preparations to attack Deir al-Zour". El-Dorar Al-Shamia. 7 September 2017. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  44. ^ a b "After carrying out the first massacre by the International Coalition since the start of "Jazeera Storm" Operation, Deir Ezzor Military Council continues its operation to control al-Shehabat area". SOHR. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  45. ^ "RAF air strikes in Iraq and Syria: September 2017". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  46. ^ "First RAF Typhoon use of Brimstone missile destroys ISIS boat in Syria". The Defense Post. 22 February 2019.
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  48. ^ Merrill, Jamie (5 January 2019). "Two British soldiers seriously injured in Isil missile attack in Syria". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  49. ^ "Point de situation des opérations du 22 février 2018". 2018-02-22.
  50. ^ "French army on the front line of 'final battle' against IS group". France 24. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
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  52. ^ "Militaire bijdrage Nederland in Irak en Oost-Syrië". Netherlands Ministry of Defence. 20 October 2020.
  53. ^ "Investigation into Syrian air strikes completed". Department of Defence (Press release). 30 November 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  54. ^ "U.S.-backed Syrian forces resume battle against Islamic State". Reuters. 1 May 2018.
  55. ^ "February update". syriahr.com. Syria Observatory for Human Rights. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  56. ^ "YPG announce defeat of ISIS east of Euphrates". Rudaw. 3 December 2017.
  57. ^ BBC Monitoring (11 October 2018). "Explainer: IS redraws boundaries of its local Syrian 'branches'". BBC. Retrieved 16 November 2018.