 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(November 2018) |
| Southern Damascus offensive (March 2018) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Syrian Civil War and the inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War | |||||||
 Map of the battle | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
Contents  Tahrir al-Sham (12 March only) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown |  Nidal Darwish  [2] | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Dimashq Wilayah [4] |
 Syrian Air Force | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1,500–2,500 [6] | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 17 killed [7] |  116 killed (per SOHR) [8] 175 killed (per ISIL) [9] | ||||||
| 1 civilian killed [10] | |||||||
The Southern Damascus offensive (March 2018) started on 12 March 2018, when ISIL began attacking rebel positions in the al-Qadam neighborhood of southern Damascus as they were evacuating. [11] The rebel pocket in al-Qadam had been surrounded on one side by government forces and on the other by ISIL. [12] On 10 March, ISIL threatened to kill any rebels that evacuate from the area after the Syrian government gave the rebels 48 hours to surrender the district and evacuate. [13] Following news of the upcoming rebel evacuation from al-Qadam, ISIL forces attacked the rebels on 12 March and captured 25 percent of the neighborhood. [11] The next day, around 300 rebel fighters and their family members were evacuated from al-Qadam to rebel territory in Idlib province. [12] After the evacuation, government troops took control of 70 percent of the neighborhood, while the remaining 30 was under IS control. [14] During the fighting, government air-strikes were conducted against ISIL in Al-Hajar al-Aswad and al-Qadam. [15] While the clashes were taking place in Qadam, rebel groups attempted to break through ISIL lines in Yarmouk but were repelled. [16]
On 14 March, ISIL launched an assault against Syrian Army positions in al-Qadam, managing to advance slightly. The attack was renewed the following day but without any advances [17] and by 16 March, the ISIL offensive had stalled. [18] During the fighting in al-Qadam, government forces suffered heavy losses with 40 soldiers being killed and at least one tank knocked out. [19]
Overnight on 19 March, ISIL forces launched a surprise attack on government positions in al-Qadam [20] and by the following day ISIL gained ground, pushing back the military. [21] According to the pro-opposition activist group the SOHR, ISIL took full control of al-Qadam, with 36 soldiers being killed and dozens of others wounded, captured or missing. [20] In contrast, military sources initially reported control of al-Qadam was divided [22] and that ISIL failed to capture the central and western neighborhoods of the district. [23] However, later they confirmed ISIL had taken control of 90 percent of the district following a chaotic Army withdrawal due to poor coordination between different military branches and that the Army was in control of one western neighborhood. [1] Five of the missing soldiers were eventually rescued after becoming trapped behind ISIL lines, while others were reported to be isolated in ISIL territory. [22] Still, later, it was stated no more living soldiers remained behind ISIL lines. [24] At this time, veteran units of the 4th Armoured Division were sent as reinforcements to al-Qadam [25] to try to retake the lost areas. [20] Later that day, following heavy artillery strikes against ISIL positions, a two-day ceasefire was announced. [26]
On 21 March, it was reported that the military's death toll from ISIL's attack had risen to 62, after 26 bodies of the previously missing were retrieved. [27] On the same day, ISIL executed a captured commander from the Palestinian People’s Party, Nidal Darwish, in the al-Qadam neighborhood. [2]
