Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat
Part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign (Syrian Civil War)
Date 9 November 2012[3] – 27 August 2016 (3 years, 9 months, 2 weeks and 4 days)
Location Darayya and Muadamiyat al-Sham, Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria
Status

Syrian Army Victory

  • Government forces capture Darayya; rebels surrender and left the city after a ceasefire agreement[4][5][6]
  • 161,700 residents displaced[7]
Belligerents

Syria Syrian Arab Republic

Hezbollah[1]
Arab Nationalist Guard[2]
Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army Surrendered
Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union Surrendered
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Syrian Army assault leader [2] Syrian opposition Abdul Rahim[7]
(Martyrs of Islam Brigade commander)
Syrian opposition Osama Abu Zeid [7]
(Martyrs of Islam Brigade field commander)
Syrian opposition Ahmad Abou Al-Majd [8]
(Martyrs of Islam Brigade field commander)
Syrian opposition Abu Aref Alayyan [9]
("key rebel leader")
Faysal al-Shami [10]
(Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union commander)
Units involved

Syrian Army

Republican Guard[11]

Southern Front

Strength
3,000[12] <1,000 (mid-2016)[13]
Casualties and losses
Unknown 120 killed (August 2015–July 2016)[13]

The Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat was launched by the Syrian Armed Forces in late 2012 after rebels took over most of the Damascus suburbs of Darayya and Muadamiyat al-Sham in November 2012. Since then, the power grid in the area was cut off as the government attempted to storm the towns multiple times. During the siege the towns were continuously hit by airstrikes from the Syrian Air Force.[3] On 24 August 2016 it was confirmed that the rebels and the Syrian Government made a deal in which the rebels would leave the city. They would be able to leave and would be sent up to Idlib with their families. The rest of the civilians would be relocated. [14]

The siege[edit]

2016[edit]

In late January 2016, the National Defence Force and the Syrian Republican Guard captured the road linking the two towns from the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union, cutting the two rebel-held suburbs in two. Government forces also seized several buildings from the rebels.[15]

In late February, the Syrian Army launched an assault on Darayya and took over 20 buildings from Ajnad al-Sham, killing a rebel commander. The town was excluded from a 2-week country-wide ceasefire due to the presence of the al-Nusra Front, which is claimed by the government to control 1/5 of rebel-held Darayya.[10]

In May, ICRC trucks carrying infant formula, vaccines, and school supplies attempted to enter Darayya, but was turned back and denied entry by the 4th Armoured Division.[16][17]

On 1 June, 5 trucks containing infant formula, vaccines, mosquito nets, shampoos, and wheelchairs was allowed entry in the town, with another convoy entering Muadamiyat.[18] On the same day government forces shelled fields in the town, burning crops.[7]

On 6 June the Criterion Brigades launched an offensive called "At Your Service Darayya" in order to draw government forces from Darayya to reinforce the front in Quneitra. The Brigades allegedly seized 2 villages, which was denied by the National Defence Forces.[19]

Later that month on 9–10 June the first convoy of food aid since 2012 was delivered to Darayya by the World Food Programme and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The convoy included bags of flour to last for 4,000 people a month and other food to feed 2,400 a month. Around 8,000 people still live in the town. However, the town was hit by multiple barrel bombs on the same day.[20] On the 16th, the government forces dropped 12 barrel bombs and advanced 42 blocks in the west and south of the town.[7] 500 houses were razed by the government in order to build defensive structures.[21]

On 20 June, rebel forces launched a suicide attack at a government checkpoint on the road between the towns, capturing 12 soldiers. 7 rebels were killed and soon after more than 30 barrel bombs were dropped on Darayya. The attack reportedly reopened a rebel supply line between Darayya and Muadamiyat.[22] After losing nine checkpoints to the rebels, the Army launched a counter-offensive and retook the lost territory. As a result, Ajnad al-Sham units suffered heavy casualties, including two killed commanders.[23]

On 24 June, the Syrian Army, backed by Hezbollah, captured over 25 farms in the Darayya, threatening to cut the rebel pocket in half,[1] and depriving the city of its most important food source.[13] The next day, the government formally offered the rebel groups in Darayya a surrender deal, according to which the rebels would be granted safe passage to other rebel-held areas of Damascus if they gave up their weapons. The FSA and Ajnad al-Sham commanders were given a one-week deadline to respond.[24]

After rebel commanders refused to surrender, government forces resumed their attacks on Darayya on 30 June.[25] On 10 July, the Syrian Army broke through the rebel lines, as it captured much of the Alaya District from Ajnad al-Sham. By this point, the government had retaken half of Darayya from the rebels,[11][26] namely the eastern part. The rebels had suffered heavy casualties, with 120 fighters being killed since August 2015, and fewer than 1,000 remaining in the town.[13] On 13 July, the Syrian Army captured all remaining rebel-held farms of Darayya.[27]

On 15 July, the military advanced to a residential area on the southern side of Darayya,[28] coming close to the Darayya Railway, a rebel stronghold.[29] By this point, the rebels were under threat of the possibility that government forces could split the town in half.[30] Two days later, government forces made more advances in a residential area of Darayya,[31] and in the following night launched a major attack on the city center. Rebel fighters were reported to be on the verge of retreating from the Darayya Association Quarter.[32]

On 20 July, government forces stormed the Association Quarter, seizing several buildings amid fierce fighting.[33] Four days later, rebels reportedly repelled a government attack on southern Darayya,[34] killing the Syrian Army assault leader in the process.[2]

On 28 July, the government launched a new offensive in western Darayya, resulting in fierce fighting.[35] Breaking through rebel lines, the 4th Armoured Division captured a 300 metre long and 450 metre wide strip of territory in western Darayya and killed a "key rebel leader", Abu Aref Alayyan.[9][36] On the night of 1–2 August, government troops captured several buildings around the Bilal Al-Habashi Mosque after heavy clashes with Ajnad al-Sham, with the seized territory being approximately 300 meters long and 250 meters wide.[37] On 5 August, the Army took control of an area, 1 square kilometer in size, near the Bilal Al-Habashi Mosque.[38] Government advances continued on 7 August, as the Syrian Army captured three more building blocks. In course of the fighting, the rebel commander Ahmad Abou Al-Majd was killed.[8]

On 14 August, the government continued its offensive, making major progress by capturing more sites in the Association Quarter and a large part of Darayya's southwestern sector.[39] The next day, Ajnad al-Sham fighters used a secret tunnel to launch a surprise attack on the government forces, overwhelming them and capturing the Al-Wahbi and Al-Qatteh points. Even though the Republican Guard recaptured the two sites later on, the ambush was still a tactical success for the rebels, who had suffered few casualties for several killed government soldiers.[40] On 17 August, government forces captured several building blocks near the Noureddeen Mosque and managed to enter the Railway area of Darayya that had been under rebel control since 2012.[41]

In the early hours of 19 August, reports emerged that the last rebel "field hospital" was destroyed in airstrikes using barrel bombs containing napalm type materials. Later in the day rebel defenses partially collapsed in southern Darayya, as government forces captured the Railway Crossing, 24 building blocks and advanced into the Christian District.[42][43][44] On 21 August, the 4th Armoured Division captured the Nour Al-Deen Mosque[45] and two days later advanced once again on a 200 meter front, coming to within 500 meters of splitting the rebel-held part of Darayaa in two.[46]

On 25 August after a ceasefire agreement, the rebels inside Darayya announced their plan to surrender their weapons and to evacuate themselves and their family members from the town to rebel-held areas in the Idlib Governorate in stages, while other civilians were to be re-located to government-held areas near Damascus.[5][47][48] Over 700 fighters and 300 of their family members[49] were part of the move which was viewed as a strategic win for government forces.[50]

Soon after the rebel surrender in Darayya, reports that rebels and civilians in Muadamiyat al-Sham were also interested in a similar deal, however no agreement has yet been made.[51]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Fadel, Leith (24 June 2016). "Syrian Army captures over 25 farms in southern Darayya: map". al-masdar News. Retrieved 25 June 2016. 
  2. ^ a b c "Daryya Rebels Thwarted another Attempt to Storm the City". El-Dorar Al-Shamia. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016. 
  3. ^ a b "Top Syria rebel commander killed in battle". The Peninsula Qatar. 16 December 2012. 
  4. ^ Raf Sanchez, Josie Ensor (26 August 2016). "Daraya surrenders to Assad regime after four years of siege and starvation". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 Aug 2016. 
  5. ^ a b "Rebels to surrender Syrian town of Darayya to Assad's forces". The Guardian. 25 August 2016. 
  6. ^ Breaking Syrian Army in full control of Darayya
  7. ^ a b c d e "As regime drops hundreds of barrel bombs on Darayya, rebel spokesman says 'history will take note of how the revolution abandoned us'". Syria:direct. 16 June 2016. 
  8. ^ a b Charkatli, Izat (8 August 2016). "Rebel commander killed in Daraya clashes". al-masdar News. Retrieved 8 August 2016. 
  9. ^ a b Adra, Zen (28 July 2016). "Field Report: Syrian Army tightens the noose around rebels in Darayya. Map Update". al-masdar News. Retrieved 28 July 2016. 
  10. ^ a b "Top rebel commander killed in Darayya amid Syrian Army advance". Al-Masdar News. 26 February 2016. 
  11. ^ a b c Fadel, Leith (11 July 2016). "Syrian Army seizes half of Darayya as rebel defenses fall apart". al-masdar News. Retrieved 11 July 2016. 
  12. ^ What Next for the SAA's Republican Guard?
  13. ^ a b c d "With fewer than 1,000 remaining, Darayya rebels 'abandoned' as regime advances". Syria:direct. 11 July 2016. 
  14. ^ http://www.bbc.com/news/37191087
  15. ^ "Syrian Army begins siege of Darayya in rural Damascus". Al-Masdar News. 28 January 2016. 
  16. ^ "Red Cross aid convoy denied entry to Syrian city of Darayya". The Guardian. 12 May 2012. 
  17. ^ "Is there an end in sight to Assad's starvation policy?". The National. 2 June 2016. 
  18. ^ "Syria, Facing Deadline, Allows Limited Aid to Besieged Town of Daraya". The New York Times. 2 June 2016. 
  19. ^ "Quneitra rebels aim to relieve siege of Darayya". Now News. 7 June 2016. 
  20. ^ "Besieged Syrian Town Gets First Food Aid Since 2012, Then Gets Bombed". The New York Times. 11 June 2016. 
  21. ^ "Regime razes Damascus areas for defensive measure". Now News. 18 June 2016. 
  22. ^ "Syria opposition advances towards besieged Daraya: Reports". Middle East Eye. 20 June 2016. 
  23. ^ Fadel, Leith (21 June 2016). "Islamist offensive in Darayya ends in failure". al-masdar News. Retrieved 25 June 2016. 
  24. ^ Tomson, Chris (25 June 2016). "Syrian Army offers rebels in Darayya last chance to surrender – Map update". al-masdar News. Retrieved 25 June 2016. 
  25. ^ Tomson, Chris (30 June 2016). "Syrian Army presses Darayya offensive as rebels refuse to surrender". al-masdar News. Retrieved 1 July 2016. 
  26. ^ قوات النظام تنفذ هجوماً وتتقدم في كتل سكنية بداريا في غوطة دمشق الغربية
  27. ^ Fadel, Leith (13 July 2016). "Syrian Army captures all of Darayya Farms: map". al-masdar News. Retrieved 13 July 2016. 
  28. ^ Syrian Regime Progressing In Darayya … Opposition Breaks Down A Mine Sweeper
  29. ^ Syrian Army approaches strategic Darayya Railway
  30. ^ Progovernment forces advance in Syrian cities
  31. ^ قصف مكثف يرافق الاشتباكات في أطراف داريا وقوات النظام تتقدم في كتل سكنية بالمدينة
  32. ^ Fadel, Leith (18 July 2016). "Syrian Army begins important military operation inside Darayya". al-Masdar News. Retrieved 18 July 2016. 
  33. ^ Fadel, Leith (20 July 2016). "Syrian Army advances in key town outside Damascus". al-masdar News. Retrieved 20 July 2016. 
  34. ^ "Regime forces lose in south of Daraya city in countryside of Damascus". Qasion News. 24 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016. 
  35. ^ "New regime offensive over Darayya". Qasion News. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016. 
  36. ^ Renewed clashes and shelling in al-Ghouta
  37. ^ Fadel, Leith (2 August 2016). "Syrian Army captures new points inside Darayya". al-masdar News. Retrieved 2 August 2016. 
  38. ^ Syrian Army seizes large chunks of strategic west Damascus town
  39. ^ Fadel, Leith (14 August 2016). "Syrian Army makes huge advance in key Islamist stronghold outside Damascus". al-Masdar News. Retrieved 15 August 2016. 
  40. ^ Fadel, Leith (16 August 2016). "Islamists carry out surprise attack in Darayya". al-Masdar News. Retrieved 16 August 2016. 
  41. ^ Fadel, Leith (17 August 2016). "Syrian Army makes another large advance in key rebel stronghold". al-Masdar News. Retrieved 18 August 2016. 
  42. ^ Fadel, Leith (19 August 2016). "Syrian Army makes strategic advance in Islamist stronghold". al-Masdar News. Retrieved 19 August 2016. 
  43. ^ Charkatli, Izat (19 August 2016). "Syrian Army advances in Daraya amidst total collapse of jihadist defenses (Video)". al-Masdar News. Retrieved 19 August 2016. 
  44. ^ Violent clashes on the outskirts of Darayya city and the regime forces continue the intensive shelling on the city
  45. ^ Adra, Zen (21 August 2016). "Field Report: Syrian Army pushes deeper inside Darayya. Map Update". al-Masdar News. Retrieved 22 August 2016. 
  46. ^ Syrian Army on verge of splitting militant stronghold in two
  47. ^ First phase of Darayya surrender completed
  48. ^ Fadel, Leith (2016-08-26). "[Map] Syrian Army in full control of Islamist stronghold". Retrieved 2016-08-26. 
  49. ^ The agreement of Daraya city is taking its first steps
  50. ^ Daraya Evacuation Deal Hands Syria's Assad a Strategic Win
  51. ^ Islamist rebels preparing to surrender another stronghold to the Syrian Army

{{Navbox with collapsible sections | name = Syrian Civil War | state = collapsed | title = Syrian Civil War | listclass = hlist | selected =r | abovestyle = padding:0 0 0.5em; | above = Part of the Arab Spring
Syria Syrian opposition Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Rojava | abbr1 = Timeline

| sect1 =

| list1 =

Coordinates: 33°27′00″N 36°15′00″E / 33.4500°N 36.2500°E / 33.4500; 36.2500