The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to July 2014. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
It was confirmed that 34 foreign ISIL and Jund al-Aqsa fighters had been executed in the previous few days by rebels in the Jabal al-Zawiya area. [1] ISIL retreated from Mayadin in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, without any fighting with rebel forces. [2] East of Rastan, in the Homs Governorate, ISIL attacked a rebel headquarters, killing 15 rebel fighters. [3] During the day, it was revealed that during the previous evening, ISIL executed up to 50 prisoners in the Qadi al-Askar district of Aleppo. The dead included media activists, relief workers, and other civilians. [4] According to the opposition SOHR, 42 people were executed, including, 21 rebel fighters and five media activists. [5]
Rebels captured the ISIL headquarters in Aleppo city at the Children's hospital in the Qadi Askar district. ISIL forces lost control over opposition-held areas of the city and retreated to Al-Inzarat on the northeastern outskirts of Aleppo. 300 hostages held by the radical jihadists were set free. [6] In Ar-Raqqah, the hospital was abandoned, bodies were lying in the central square and there was no power or water leaving the city "completely paralyzed", according to an opposition activist. At this point, ISIL controlled two key routes out of Raqqa: to the east toward the Iraqi border and also the road north to the Turkish frontier. [7] The head of the al-Nusra Front, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, confirmed that fighting had taken place between his organization and ISIL and called for mediation and an end to the "infighting." [8] Late in the day, ISIL started a counterattack, as it launched car bomb assaults targeting opposition checkpoints. Three attacks took place in Al-Bab, Hreitan, and Jarabulus in the Aleppo Governorate, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said similar overnight attacks took place in the Aleppo Governorate, while one occurred in Mayadin in the eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The attack in Al-Bab killed nine people. [9]
A car bomb killed 18 people, including women and children, in central Hama province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights organization. [10] [11] The New York Times reported that Islamic extremist groups in Syria with ties to al-Qaeda try to identify, recruit and train Americans and other Westerners who had traveled there to get them to carry out attacks when they return home. [12]
ISIL managed to push back rebel forces on the eastern approaches to Ar-Raqqah. ISIL forces also killed 20 rebel fighters in fighting in the town of Al-Bab in Aleppo province, [13] and managed to capture wheat silos and mills just outside the town. [14] ISIL commander Abu Omar al-Shishani entered the town with a convoy of 30 vehicles and troops after he lifted the ISIL's siege of Deir-az-Zor airport. [15]
Rebels moved a convoy including tanks and technicals to Saraqeb in preparation to push ISIL out. [16] Heavy fighting erupted and it was reported that rebels took over most of the town, and besieged hundreds of ISIL fighters. Earlier in the day, five rebels were killed on the outskirts of Saraqeb when their car hit a bomb. [17] Meanwhile, ISIL forces managed to capture the border town of Tal Abyad, while in Ar-Raqqah ISIL fighters captured a rebel checkpoint and the train station. [18] ISIL fighters also dumped the corpses of dozens of their foes at the village of Jazra, to the west of Ar-Raqqah. Dozens of bodies of ISIL fighters were also reportedly in Ar-Raqqah's hospital. [16] Rebels managed to regain territory lost in previous days in Aleppo province and were defending against ISIL counterattacks. 20 rebels were killed in fighting in the town of Anadan, [19] while 30 rebels were killed in three days of fighting in the village of al-Tiba, northeast of Sekhna. [20]
It was confirmed that rebel forces had captured the eastern part of Saraqeb with the local ISIL commander surrounded with his fighters in the center of the town. [21] Fighting was still continuing in Ar-Raqqah between ISIL and remnants of rebel units, including the Al-Nusra Front, [22] although by this point ISIL had captured much of the city. [23] According to an opposition activist, 95 percent of Ar-Raqqah and its countryside were under ISIL control. ISIL forces had also captured the towns of Hrietan and Basraton in Aleppo province. [22] It was also reported that the bodies of 70 rebels were delivered to Ar-Raqqah's hospital after they were executed by ISIL following their capture of Tal Abyad. Another report put the number of executed prisoners at 100. [24] Syrian State TV claimed that a rebel mortar attack killed 19 people in the government-controlled Ghouta and Karm al shami areas of the city of Homs. [25]
It was reported that ISIL had won the battle of Raqqa, capturing most of the province and the provincial capital. [26] ISIL had also captured Al-Bab [27] and Beza'a, while the rebels were gaining ground in Jarabulus near the Turkish border. [28] Another mass execution of prisoners was also reported near the village of Qantari, about 80 kilometers north of Raqqa, when ISIL killed 46 captured fighters of the Ahrar ash-Sham rebel group. [27] 14 rebels were also executed in Homs province [29]
It was reported that rebels captured the villages of Masqan, [30] Kafar Kalbin and Kafra in Aleppo province, while ISIL took full control of Raqqah city after the last remaining rebels retreated. [31] Meanwhile, the rebels also captured the prison in Jarablus, releasing 70 prisoners from ISIL custody. [32] 46 Palestinians and Syrian residents in the Yarmouk Camp died of starvation and lack of medical care since October, from a Syrian Army enforced blockade. [33]
An ISIL car bomb in Jarablus killed 26 people, of which 23 were rebel fighters and three were civilians. Meanwhile, in Saraqeb fighting was continuing and opposition sources reported that the local ISIL commander, a Belgian, was killed. ISIL denied the claim. [34] Between 15 and 17 January, rebels captured Jibreen, Hardntin Kfarrakeshr, [35] [36] Sheikh Ali, Aajel, 46th base, Orum al-Sughra and Reef al-Muhandiseen, while ISIL retreated from the village of Kafarjoum, which held what was believed to be the largest ISIL arms depot in all of Syria. [37] ISIL also withdrew from Saraqib, burning their vehicles as they retreated, while at the same time ISIL recaptured Jarabulus. [38]
A suicide bomber killed 4 people and injured 26 in the Lebanese town of Hermel, a Hezbollah stronghold[ citation needed ] near the Syrian border. [39]
A rocket fired from Syria into the Lebanese border town of Arsal killed seven people and wounded 15. [40]
2 suicide car bombs exploded at the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing, killing 16 people including six rebels. [41] The same day, ISIL forces seized control of the Al-Jarah military airport. [41] In Manbij, a large suicide car explosion killed 20 people, including rebels, women and children [42] By 23 January, ISIL was in full control of Manbij [43] and completely secured Darkush the following day. [44]
It was reported that ISIL senior Commander Sameer Abid Mohammed al-Halefawi (aka Haji Bakr) was killed by rebels in Tal Rifaat, near Azaz, [45] and at least two other ISIL senior commanders were captured at Hreitan. Four ISIL fighters and three rebels were killed in the fighting. [46] ISIL confirmed the death of top ISIL leader Haji Bakr on 2 February. [47]
A three-day truce was agreed; civilians were allowed to evacuate from a rebel-held area of the Syrian city of Homs after more than 18 months under a government blockade. [50]
ISIL retreated from the border town of Azaz and nearby villages, choosing instead to consolidate around Raqqa in anticipation of an escalation of fighting with al-Nusra. [53]
The United States expelled all Syrian diplomats and closed the Syrian embassy in Washington D.C. [54]
The Israeli Air Force launched several air strikes on Syrian military sites, killing one Syrian soldier and wounding 7 others, in retaliation for a bombing that wounded four of its troops in the Golan Heights. [55]
Clashes erupt in Tripoli, Lebanon between Syrian government supporters and detractors, leaving 3 dead. [56]
Turkish F-16s shot down a Syrian MiG-23 aircraft for purportedly violating Turkish airspace. [57]
The Syrian Army shelled the YPG-held neighbourhood of al-Msheirfah in Al-Hasakah city. [58] The Syrian Kurdish news agency ANHA, citing a YPG source, stated that the attack began at 11:30 AM, and that mortar shells fired by the army struck the YPG's "Martyr Shiyar" office and a cotton mill, causing material damage. [59] This incident occurred while the YPG was fighting off an ISIS attack against the town of Jaz'ah near Ya'rubiyah. [60]
Members of the pro-government National Defence Force shot a YPG fighter in Qamishli city. The YPG responded by launching an operation in the Qadour Bek district of Qamishli, killing seven pro-government fighters and detaining 10 others. It was also reported that the YPG captured parts of the Qadour Bek district, including the Customs Building and the Qamishli's Bread Factory. [61]
Chemical weapons are used again in Syria, this time on the town of Kafr Zita, Hama. [62] [63]
Iraqi helicopters reportedly destroyed an ISIL convoy in Syria. This was possibly the first time that Iraqi forces struck outside their country since the Gulf War. [64]
Rebels withdraw from the besieged city of Homs in accordance with the U.N.-brokered deal between them and the Syrian government. [65]
Russia and China veto a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have asked the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in Syria. [66]
Syria presidential election takes place in government-controlled areas, amidst an opposition boycott. While the West denounces the election as rigged and "meaningless", delegations from Assad's main supporters, including Russia, Iran and Venezuela, praise the election as transparent and free. [69]
The Syrian government announces Assad was re-elected, claiming that Assad had won with 88.7% of the vote and a turnout of 73.47% of eligible voters. [69]
The Syrian government declares a general amnesty for all citizens; [70] Assad would later fail to follow through and release any political prisoners. [71]
The OPCW releases a preliminary report indicating more chemical weapons have been used since the August 2013 attacks, confirming France's suspicions that the Syrian government has still been using chlorine gas attacks. [72]
The final stockpile of "declared" chemical weapons is shipped out of the country. [73]
The Syrian Air Force bombs Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-held towns in Iraq, killing at least 57 civilians. [74]
Bashar Assad is sworn in to serve his third seven-year term as President of Syria. [75]
This is a broad timeline of the course of major events of the Syrian civil war. It only includes major territorial changes and attacks and does not include every event.
This page provides maps and a list of cities and towns during the Syrian civil war.
The battle of Raqqa, also known as the first battle of Raqqa and code named by rebels as the "Raid of the Almighty", was fought for control of the northern Syrian city of Raqqa during the Syrian civil war between Sunni Islamist rebel insurgents and the Syrian Arab Army. Rebel forces launched the offensive in early March 2013, and declared themselves in "near-total control" on 5 March, making it the first provincial capital claimed to come under rebel control in the civil war. The battle, on the opposition side, was primarily led by the al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham.
The Ahfad al-Rasul Brigades was a Syrian rebel group fighting against the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War. It was funded by the Qatari government.
The Rojava–Islamist conflict, a major theater in the Syrian civil war, started after fighting erupted between the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Islamist rebel factions in the city of Ras al-Ayn. Kurdish forces launched a campaign in an attempt to take control of the Islamist-controlled areas in the governorate of al-Hasakah and some parts of Raqqa and Aleppo governorates after al-Qaeda in Syria used those areas to attack the YPG. The Kurdish groups and their allies' goal was also to capture Kurdish areas from the Arab Islamist rebels and strengthen the autonomy of the region of Rojava. The Syrian Democratic Forces would go on to take substantial territory from Islamist groups, in particular the Islamic State (IS), provoking Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War.
The Kurdish Front is a predominantly Kurdish Syrian rebel faction participating in the Syrian Civil War.
Jund al-Aqsa, later known as Liwa al-Aqsa after 7 February 2017, was a Salafist jihadist organization that was active during the Syrian Civil War. Formerly known as Sarayat al-Quds, the group was founded by Abu Abdul 'Aziz al-Qatari as a subunit within the al-Nusra Front. The group later became independent, because al-Nusra was growing too rapidly for its resources and had suffered from fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. On 20 September 2016 the U.S. Department of State designated Jund al-Aqsa as a terrorist organization. The group rejoined al-Nusra Front, by then renamed Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), in October 2016. However, on 23 January 2017, JFS declared that Jund Al-Aqsa was no longer part of Jabhat Fateh Al-Sham. In early February 2017, some of Jund al-Aqsa's units joined the newly formed Tahrir al-Sham, while the others refused and formed a new splinter group called Liwa al-Aqsa, and captured many towns in northern Hama and southern Idlib from other rebel groups. Following these attacks, Tahrir al-Sham launched a military operation against Liwa al-Aqsa, accusing them of being an ISIL affiliate. Following intense clashes with Tahrir al-Sham, up to 2,100 Liwa al-Aqsa militants left Idlib Province to join ISIL in Raqqa Province, by 22 February 2017.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war from August to December 2014. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
The siege of Kobanî was launched by the Islamic State (IS) on 13 September 2014, in order to capture the Kobanî Canton and its main city of Kobanî in northern Syria, in the de facto autonomous region of Rojava.
The Tell Abyad offensive or Martyr Rubar Qamışlo operation was a military operation that began in late May 2015 in the northern Raqqa Governorate, during the Syrian Civil War. It was conducted by the Kurdish-majority People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The offensive took place from the end of May until July 2015. The campaign was the second phase of the Kurdish Operation Commander Rûbar Qamishlo, which began with the Al-Hasakah offensive, and involved the merger of the Kobanî offensive with the former. The focus of the campaign was to capture the key border town of Tell Abyad, and to link the Kobanî and Jazira Cantons in Northern Syria.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to July 2015. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
In early 2014, the jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant captured extensive territory in Western Iraq in the Anbar campaign, while counter-offensives against it were mounted in Syria. Raqqa in Syria became its headquarters. The Wall Street Journal estimated that eight million people lived under its control in the two countries.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to April 2016. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from May to August 2016. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
The al-Hasakah Governorate campaign was a multi-sided military conflict between Syrian government forces, Kurdish forces, armed Syrian opposition groups, and Salafist jihadist forces, including al-Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the al-Nusra Front in the al-Hasakah Governorate as part of the Syrian Civil War. The clashes began with the People's Protection Units (YPG)'s entrance into the civil war in July 2012 and spread across the governorate.
The 2012–2013 escalation of the Syrian Civil War refers to the third phase of the Syrian Civil War, which gradually escalated from a UN-mediated cease fire attempt during April–May 2012 and deteriorated into radical violence, escalating the conflict level to a full-fledged civil war.
The Central Syria campaign, known as "Operation Khuzam", or "Lavender", was a large-scale military operation of the Syrian Army (SAA) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during the Syrian Civil War. Its goal was to capture the strategic oil town of Al-Sukhnah, and besiege and capture 11,000 square kilometers of ISIL territory in central Syria, after which the Syrian Army would advance towards Deir ez-Zor, and lift the three-year ISIL siege of the government's enclave in the city. Afterwards, the Syrian Army advanced towards the Islamic State's then-capital of Mayadin.
Opposition–ISIL conflict during the Syrian Civil War started after fighting erupted between Syrian opposition groups and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In early January 2014, serious clashes between the groups erupted in the north of the country. Opposition groups near Aleppo attacked ISIL in two areas, Atarib and Anadan, which were both strongholds of the fundamentalist Sunni organization. Despite the conflict between ISIL and other rebels, one faction of ISIL has cooperated with the al-Nusra Front and the Green Battalion to combat Hezbollah in the Battle of Qalamoun. By 2018.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2021. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian civil war.