Operation Dawn of Freedom

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Operation Dawn of Freedom
Part of the Northwestern Syria offensive (2024) and the Rojava conflict during the Syrian civil war
Northwestern Syria offensive (2024).jpg
Operation Dawn of Freedom.jpg

Map of the offensive in Syria
  Controlled by the Syrian opposition
  Controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces
Date30 November 2024 – 12 December 2024
(−10 months, 3 weeks and 4 days)
Location
Territorial
changes
Temporarily US mediated truce between SDF and SNA [1]
Belligerents
Syrian revolution flag.svg Syrian Interim Government
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey (since 8 December) [7]
De facto SA-NES Flag.svg  Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1971), Flag of Syria (1980-2024).svg Syrian Arab Republic   White flag icon.svg (until 8 December)
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Units involved

Syrian revolution flag.svg Syrian National Army

Standard of General staff of Turkish Armed Forces.svg Turkish Armed Forces

Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svg Syrian Democratic Forces [12]


Flag of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces (1980-2024).svg  Syrian Armed Forces   White flag icon.svg

Banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (obverse).svg  Russian Armed Forces

Casualties and losses
Syrian revolution flag.svg 34 killed [a]
Syrian revolution flag.svg 222 killed [b] (SDF claim)
Syrian revolution flag.svg 14 captured (SDF claim) [23]
Syrian revolution flag.svg 42 vehicles destroyed (SDF claim) [23] [22]
Syrian revolution flag.svg 6 tanks destroyed (SDF claim) [22]

Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svg 41 killed [c]
Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svg 3 injured [17]


Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1971), Flag of Syria (1980-2024).svg 53 killed [26]
Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1971), Flag of Syria (1980-2024).svg 33 captured (Turkish claim) [27]
Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958-1971), Flag of Syria (1980-2024).svg 14 Aero L-39 Albatros captured [26]
13 killed [28] [29]
11 SDF/civilians executed by the SNA [30]
Unknown number of civilians held captive [30]
Several injured [28]

Operation Dawn of Freedom [d] refers to a military offensive launched by the Syrian National Army (SNA; a Turkish-backed coalition of forces) against the Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), targeting the northern Aleppo Governorate region between al-Bab and Tadef within the Operation Euphrates Shield zone.

Contents

Background

Following the initiation of the 2024 Northwestern Syria offensive on 27 November and the capture of several regions of the city of Aleppo, the Syrian National Army (SNA) commenced Operation Dawn of Freedom on 30 November. The operation was officially announced by the Prime Minister of the Syrian National Coalition Abdurrahman Mustafa during an NTV interview. He outlined two primary strategic objectives: intercepting SDF supply networks and establishing a corridor connecting al-Bab, under the Turkish occupation of northern Syria, to Tel Rifaat. [31]

Operation Dawn of Freedom is unlikely to have occurred without approval from Turkey. [32] It was linked to Turkish demands for a "Safe Zone" in Syria. [33]

Offensives

Following intense clashes between SNA forces and those loyal to the Assad government in northern Aleppo Governorate, SNA forces captured the town of Tadef later the same day. [2] Clashes broke out between SDF and SNA forces as SDF forces began to enter government-controlled towns in northern Aleppo, which government forces were retreating from due to the Tahrir al-Sham-led offensive on Aleppo from Idlib. [12] On 1 December 2024, SNA captured the towns of as-Safirah, Khanasir and the Kuweires airbase, while clashes occurred between SNA and SDF in the Sheikh Najjar district of Aleppo city. [3] The capture of Kuweires airbase had cut the "corridor" that the SDF had established between the Shahba Canton centred on Tell Rifaat and Manbij. [6] Since the operation began, approximately 850km² of territory had been captured by the SNA. [34] [ better source needed ]

On the evening of 1 December 2024, the SNA launched an offensive on the SDF-held town of Tell Rifaat, capturing the town along with several surrounding villages, including Shwargha, Menagh, Maranaz, Kafr Naya, Kuweires Sharqi, Shaykh Issa, Deir Jamal, and Ain Daqna. The remaining SDF-controlled towns in the region were besieged and cut off from communication after being encircled by opposition forces. [5] During its offensive, Turkey launched strikes on Rojava's territory in support of their offensive. [32]

On 2 December 2024, the SDF announced plans to evacuate Kurdish IDPs from Tel Rifaat and the Shahba region to SDF-held areas in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsood district and northeastern Syria. [35] [36]

On 4 December 2024, SDF reported clashes in Dayr Hafir and in the southern Manbij region and confirmed casualties among the SNA. [37]

On 6 December 2024, Dawn of Freedom operations room announced an offensive on the SDF-held city Manbij. [8] On 8 December 2024, Turkey started supporting the SNA's offensive by conducting drone strikes on SDF positions. [7] On 9 December 2024, SDF withdrew from Manbij. [4] On 9 December 2024, Russia withdrew from their bases in Manbij and Kobani which are part of the peacekeeping agreement in 2019. [38]

From 8 December 2024, clashes took place on the Qara Qozak Bridge of the M4 Motorway and the Tishrin Dam, both critical Euphrates crossings, [39] with the SDF claiming to have killed dozens of SNA fighters. [40]

On 12 December 2024, a truce mediated by the United States was announced, [1] though it was ended days later. [41] On 17 December 2024, the truce was extended by a week. [42] The military attacks on Rojava continued in mid-December with the attacks on the Ayn al-Arab District. [43]

Notes

  1. 7 killed on 1 December, [19] 12 killed on 6 December, [20] and 15 killed on 8 December. [4]
  2. 12 killed on 3 December [21] and 210 killed on 13 December [22]
  3. 3 killed on 1 December, [24] 3 killed on 7 December, [17] [25] 35 killed on 8 December [4]
  4. Arabic: عملية فجر الحرية, romanized: eamaliat fajr alhuriya;
    Turkish: Özgürlük Şafağı Operasyonu

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Manbij offensive, code-named Operation Martyr and Commander Faysal Abu Layla, was a 2016 military offensive operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to capture the city of Manbij from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and eventually, the ISIL-held areas through Al-Bab to Herbel, in the area referred to as the "Manbij Pocket" in the northern Aleppo Governorate. The main goal of the offensive was to cut off ISIL's last supply routes from Turkey, and to prevent ISIL fighters from escaping across the Syria–Turkey border. For the first five days of the offensive, the US-led coalition conducted over 55 airstrikes in support of the SDF. After capturing Manbij city on 12 August, the SDF announced that the offensive would continue until the whole countryside around Manbij was captured, though the offensive effectively ended shortly after the Turkey, who regard the YPG elements in the SDF as a terrorist organisation, initiated Operation Euphrates Shield to prevent the SDF uniting the regions of Rojava.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manbij Military Council</span> Syrian rebel coalition

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahba Canton</span> Canton in Aleppo, Syria

The Shahba Canton was a political unit of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, in the Aleppo Governorate. The canton was established to administer the areas captured by the Syrian Democratic Forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant west of the Euphrates, as part of the Afrin Region.

Arima, also spelled Orayma or Arimah, is a town and seat of a subdistrict (nahiya) in Al-Bab District, located 20 kilometers (12 mi) northeast of the city of al-Bab and 65 kilometers (40 mi) northeast of Aleppo in northern Syria. In the 2004 census, it had a population of 2,839. The town of Qabasin is also to the south-west, and closer than Al-Bab. Manbij city is to the north-east. In course of the Syrian Civil War, the town repeatedly changed hands. As of 2020, it was under dual control of the Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Bab Military Council</span> Force during the Syrian Civil War

The al-Bab Military Council (BMC) is an ethnically mixed force of the Syrian Democratic Forces, consisting of Kurdish, Arab, and Turkmen militias from northern Aleppo Governorate. The BMC currently maintains a presence in several villages west of Manbij, though its stated goal is to capture al-Bab, currently under the Syrian Interim Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Euphrates Shield</span> Turkish cross-border military operation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syrian National Army</span> Coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Aleppo offensive (2017)</span> Syrian military operation in January–April 2017

The East Aleppo offensive (2017), also referred to as the Dayr Hafir offensive, was an operation launched by the Syrian Army to prevent Turkish-backed rebel forces from advancing deeper into Syria, and also to ultimately capture the ISIL stronghold of Dayr Hafir. Another aim of the operation was to gain control of the water source for Aleppo city, at the Khafsa Water Treatment Plant, in addition to capturing the Jirah Military Airbase. At the same time, the Turkish-backed rebel groups turned towards the east and started launching attacks against the Syrian Democratic Forces, west of Manbij.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Democratic Brigade</span> Free Syrian Army unit

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–2021 Ayn Issa clashes</span> Part of the Syrian Civil War

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On 20 November 2022 the Turkish Air Force launched Operation Claw-Sword, a series of airstrikes against Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian Army positions in Northern Syria and against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in Northern Iraq. The airstrikes were launched following the 2022 Istanbul bombing on 13 November, that the Turkish government say was conducted by Kurdish separatists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Syrian opposition offensives</span> HTS-led military operation of the Syrian civil war

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The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war from November 2024. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found in casualties of the Syrian civil war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manbij offensive (2024)</span> Pro-Turkish forces operation against Kurdish forces in Syria

The Manbij offensive was a military campaign launched by the pro-Turkish Syrian National Army (SNA) and the Turkish Air Force against Syrian Democratic Forces positions in Manbij lasting from 6 to 11 December 2024. It was a part of Operation Dawn of Freedom, and occurred concurrently with the Deir ez-Zor offensive and the wider Syrian opposition offensives. The SDF withdrew their troops on 11 December after five days of conflict following a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Kobani clashes</span> SNA operation against SDF forces in Syria.

The 2024 Kobani clashes were a military campaign conducted by the pro-Turkish Syrian National Army (SNA) and the Turkish Air Force against Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following the successful 2024 Manbij offensive. The offensive was launched with the intent to capture the Kurdish-majority city of Kobanî and positions in Ayn al-Arab District to the east of the Euphrates. The offensive was initiated with numerous airstrikes across the Kobanî countryside, and on the Tishrin Dam standing on the Euphrates between recently captured Manbij District territories and the Ayn al-Arab District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Aleppo offensive (2024–present)</span> SDF operation against Syrian National Army in eastern Aleppo Governorate

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