Timeline of the Syrian civil war (January–April 2016)

Last updated

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.

Contents

January 2016

4 January

After days of clashes with the Free Syrian Army and Islamic Front Forces the Syrian Army seize 55-60% of Sheikh Miskeen at the Daraa Governorate. [1]

Free Syrian Army groups supported the Saudi decision to sever diplomatic ties with Iran. [2]

6 January

Abu Rateb al-Homsy, leader of Ahrar al-Sham rebel group in Homs is assassinated by unknown gunmen in the village of Farhaniyeh. [3]

7 January

Pro Government National Defence Forces (Syria) captures the desert village of Al-Bayarat in the northwestern countryside of Palmyra from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. There were also clashes between the two parties near the small village of Al-Dawa. [4] On the same day, People's Protection Units fought Islamic State (IS) militants, defending Ain Issa, Sarrin, and Tishrin Dam which was seized from IS in December 2015. [5]

11 January

A United Nations-led aid convoy enters the besieged town of Madaya to deliver food and medical aid to 40,000 people. Aid also reaches the villages of Al-Fu'ah and Kafriya, under siege by rebel forces in the Idlib Governorate. [6]

12 January

Syrian Armed forces take control of the rebel Bastion of Salma in the Latakia Governorate [7]
According to Putin, Assad may have an asylum from Russia. [8] [9]

17 January

Syrian Rebels declare full control of Dudyan, Yani Yaban, Baraghida, al-Yaaroubiyah villages in Northeastern Aleppo, which they took from ISIS [10] [11]

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant abducts over 400 civilians from Al-Baghaliyeh suburb in the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor, after clashes with Syrian Army forces and their allies that left over 150 combatants killed. [12]

24 January

A ballistic missile struck an Al-Nusra Front run police station in Idlib killing 11 Islamist Fighters and 5 civilians. [13]

25 January

Syrian Army units and its allies capture the southern rebel bastion of Shaykh Maskin cutting off rebels supplies towards Daara. [14]

31 January

71 people were killed in suicide bomb blast in Damascus that was established by terrorist organization ISIS. [15]

February 2016

1 February

The Syrian Army announces the beginning of the 3rd Phase of the Lattakia Offensive with the aim of sealing the Northeastern Corner of the Latakia Governorate and create a frontline at the rebel city of Jisr Al-Shughour. [16]

3 February

The Syrian Army has broken the Siege of Nubl and Al-Zahraa in the northern Aleppo Governorate, linking with the defenders of Nubl at village of Mu’arrassat al-Khan after a 3-days battle. [17]

4 February

A top Saudi defence chief said Saudi Arabia is ready to send ground troops to Syria if the United States accepts it. [18] The United Arab Emirates announced its intentions to deploy ground forces in Syria according to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, however it added that United States lead was a prerequisite for the UAE. [19]

7 February

The Syrian Foreign Minister warned against a foreign ground intervention; saying that any foreign army troops entering Syria without government consent would "return home in wooden coffins", Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said, in reference to Saudi Arabia no made in the past two days. [20]

Bassam al-Kuwaiti, a political Syrian Opposition figure told Voice of America that Moderate Opposition face a wipe out in Northern Aleppo as the Russian backed Syrian offensive continues. Free Syrian Army forces are already relying on Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra, being merge and disband their last option. [21]

8 February

Former MI6 agent Alastair Crooke, warns about an imminent Syrian Army encircling of Aleppo Jihadists Groups, inside a cauldron at Northern Aleppo. [22]

12 February

Three U.S. backed Shite militias are now working with Pro-Syrian Army forces fighting other U.S Backed rebels in Southern Aleppo, according to two United States defense officials. [23]

13 February

Turkey shells YPG positions in northern Aleppo. [24]

15 February

A Russian air strike has destroyed a compound in northern Syria with least seven people dead and more than ten people missing presumed to be dead. [25] [26]

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu accuses Russia of acting as a "terrorist organization" in Syria, saying "If Russia continues behaving like a terrorist organization and forcing civilians to flee, we will deliver an extremely decisive response". [27]

17 February

Al-Arabiyah reports of Turkish officials discomfort with the United States regarding its stance with the Kurds. [28]

18 February

Adel al-Jubeir, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announced that a US-led ground operation in Syria would focus on fighting ISIS, not the Syrian regime. [29]

21 February

At least 46 people were killed and several injured in a double car bombs explosion in the city of Homs. [30] At least 30 people were killed in several bomb blasts near Damascus. [31] Both incidents were masterminded by ISIS.

The Syrian Arab Army and pro-government forces have encircled and overrun the Al-Safira plains between Aleppo and Kuweires Military Airbase. [32] 20 villages were seized over the previous 24 hours and 40 kilometers of highway were cleared. [33] [34] In addition, 50 ISIS fighters were killed in the past 24 hours. [35]

22 February

United States and Russia agree an all party ceasefire that will exclude the ISIS and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front begin on 27 February. [36]

Jund al-Aqsa and the Free Syrian Army captured the village of Rasm al-Nafal, to the southwest of Lake Jabbul, severing the Ithriyah-Khanasser Highway again for the second time in 5 months. In a coordinated action, ISIL had also captured multiple villages along the southern shore of Lake Jabbul and to the south of Rasm al-Nafal, sealing off more of the Aleppo road and Sheikh Hilal-Ithriyah Road. Counter-attacks by Syrian Arab Army have failed to immediately dislodge militants from the majority of the captured positions. [37] [38]

25 February

In the aftermath of the combined rebel and ISIL breakthrough south of Lake Jabbul, the Syrian Army launched a large-scale counter-attack, dislodging ISIL from the town of Khanasir which they had captured 2 days before. [39]

27 February

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that demanded all parties to comply with the terms [40] of a U.S.-Russian deal on a "cessation of hostilities". [41]

28 February

Saudi Arabia accuses Russia and Syria of ceasefire violations [42]

29 February

Russian and U.S brokered ceasefire takes places despite accusations by parties involved. [43] France wants answers on ceasefire violations. [44]

The Syrian Arab Army has re-opened a supply route to Aleppo city, [45] completing a 2016 Khanasir offensive against ISIL.

March 2016

2 March

A car bomb killed at least 18 members of the Syria Revolutionaries Front including its leader Muhammad al-Qairi, also known as Abu Hamza al-Naimi in southern Syria. The attack was likely carried out by ISIS sleeper cells. [46]

4 March

Two Syrian air strikes hit the town of Douma in Eastern Ghouta, leaving one person killed; it is unknown if the dead was a civilian or a rebel fighter. Over 118 people have been killed during the 5 day long ceasefire areas including 24 civilians. Meanwhile, in non truce areas the dead ascended to 552, mostly in clashes against the Islamic State. [47]

12 March

Syrian rebels reported that they have shot down a warplane near Hama. [48] The Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front seized the bases and weapons of a Western-backed rebel group in overnight fighting in northwestern Syria. [49] Syria’s foreign minister, Walid al-Muallem said that peace talks will fail if any party tries to discuss the presidency in a transition government, calling the incumbent president, Bashar al-Assad, a “red line”. [50]

15 March

Russia started a partial withdrawal of troops from Syria, however air strikes will continue. [51]

24 March

Syrian government forces retake Palmyra, with the assistance of Russian airstrikes, after losing it to ISIL in May 2015. [52] [53] [54]

April 2016

2 April

al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front and other Syrian rebels attack Syrian government forces, and take a strategic hill from them. [55]

4 April

Syrian government forces seize the town of al-Qaryatain from the Islamic State. [56] [57] [58] [59]

Turkish authorities imprisons the Turkmen fighter who was filmed killing the pilot in the 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown . [60]

5 April

The Syrian affiliate of al-Qaeda, the al-Nusra Front, shoot down and capture a pilot of the Syrian Arab Air Force near Aleppo. [61]

6 April

“Abu Saqqqar” a Syrian rebel that appeared on 2013 in a video trying to eat the heart of a dead Syrian soldier, is killed in the countryside of Idlib. [62]

15 April

At least 210 combatants are killed in Syria Aleppo during a week of fighting; 82 government troops, 94 rebels and 34 Islamic State jihadists according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights [63]

Related Research Articles

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.

A timeline of combat operations during the Battle of Aleppo throughout the year 2015.

Operation Rainbow was an operation launched by the Syrian Army, supported by Hezbollah and other allied militias, during the Syrian Civil War, following a successful operation which led to the military encircling Aleppo from the east side and reaching the city's northern approach. The aim of the operation, as the previous one, was to encircle Aleppo and cut rebel supply lines into the city, thus besieging rebel-held areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qalamoun offensive (May–June 2015)</span> Military operation of the Syrian Civil War

The Qalamoun offensive was an offensive led by the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah, supported by the Syrian Army, during the Syrian Civil War, against the al-Nusra Front and other Syrian opposition forces entrenched in the mountains of the Qalamoun region.

The Palmyra offensive of July–August 2015 was a military operation launched during the Syrian Civil War by the Syrian Arab Army in July 2015, in an attempt to recapture the ISIL-held city of Tadmur, known in English as Palmyra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleppo offensive (October–December 2015)</span> Operation that started on 16 October 2015

The Aleppo offensive was a Syrian Army large-scale strategic offensive south of Aleppo. The main objective of the operation was to secure the Azzan Mountains, while also creating a larger buffer zone around the only highway to the provincial capital controlled by the Syrian government. A related objective was to establish favourable conditions for a planned offensive to isolate rebel forces in Aleppo City and to relieve the long-standing siege of a pro-government enclave in Aleppo Governorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Khanasir offensive</span> Military operation

The 2016 Khanasir offensive was a military operation conducted by ISIL and Jund al-Aqsa, during the Syrian Civil War, with the aim of cutting the Syrian government's only supply route to the northern part of the Aleppo Governorate, which runs through the town of Khanasir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmyra offensive (March 2016)</span> Military operation started by the Syrian Arab Army

The Palmyra offensive was a military operation of the Syrian Arab Army, supported by Russian airstrikes, to recapture from the Islamic State the city of Tadmur, which was strategically important for both forces due to its position in central Syria. The city was fully recaptured on 27 March.

The Battle of al-Qaryatayn (2016) was a military operation launched by Syrian government forces, supported by Russian airstrikes, to recapture the mainly Christian town of Al-Qaryatayn from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The town lies in a junction that connects the Iraqi border with Palmyra and from Palmyra through to Damascus; it fell to ISIL during the previous Battle of Al-Qaryatayn.

The 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign was a series of military operations that started on 1 April when the Islamist rebel coalition Army of Conquest, led by the al-Nusra Front, launched a surprise offensive south of Aleppo. The main objective of the operation was to recapture territory they had lost during the large-scale government offensive in late 2015.

This is a chronological account of combat operations in 2016 during the Battle of Aleppo, part of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmyra offensive (December 2016)</span> 2016 military operation of the Syrian Civil War

The Palmyra offensive in December 2016 was a military operation launched by the military of ISIL which led to the re-capture of the ancient city of Palmyra, and an unsuccessful ISIL attack on the Tiyas T-4 Airbase to the west of the city. ISIL previously controlled the city from May 2015 until March 2016.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to April 2017. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017)</span> Siege in the Syrian Civil War

The siege of Deir ez-Zor was a large-scale siege imposed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against several districts in the city of Deir ez-Zor held by the Syrian Army, in an attempt to capture the city and secure full control of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The ISIL siege of the city lasted for almost 3 years and 2 months, after which the Syrian Army launched a successful offensive that fully recaptured the city nine weeks later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palmyra offensive (2017)</span> 2017 military operation of the Syrian Civil War

The Palmyra offensive in 2017 was launched by the Syrian Arab Army against the armed forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Eastern Homs Governorate in January 2017, with the goal of recapturing Palmyra and its surrounding countryside. ISIL forces had retaken the city of Palmyra in a sudden offensive from 8 to 11 December, after previously being expelled from it by Syrian government and Russian forces in March 2016. On 2 March 2017, the Syrian Army alongside Russian reinforcement, succeeded again in recapturing the beleaguered city of Palmyra.

<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">Eastern Homs offensive (2017)</span> Offensive

The Eastern Homs offensive in 2017 was a military operation of the Syrian Arab Army and its allies in Eastern part of Homs Governorate against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces during the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maskanah Plains offensive</span> Offensive

The Maskanah Plains offensive was an operation by the Syrian Army against the remaining Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) strongholds in the eastern countryside of the Aleppo Province, with the goal of recapturing the Maskanah Plains from ISIL and advancing into the Raqqa Governorate.

References

  1. ↑ Leith Fadel (5 January 2016). "Battle for Sheikh Miskeen intensifies as Islamists counter at Battalion 82 HQ". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. ↑ Leith Fadel (4 January 2016). "Free Syrian Army issues a statement in support of Saudi Arabia severing ties with Iran". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Gunmen assassinate commander of Syrian rebel group". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Leith Fadel (7 January 2016). "Breaking: Syrian Army captures Al-Bayarat in west Palmyra". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Kajjo, Sirwan (7 January 2016). "Kurdish Forces Battle IS to Keep Control of Strategic Syrian Dam". Voice of America . Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Madaya Syria: Aid convoy reaches besieged town". BBC News . 11 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Syria: Army seizes 'full control' of rebel-held town, Salma". MilitaryTimes. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  8. ↑ "Putin does not rule out granting Syria's Assad asylum". BBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  9. ↑ El Housseini, Rouba (12 January 2016). "Syria army 'seizes' key rebel stronghold in Latakia". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016– via Yahoo! News.
  10. ↑ "Sami on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  11. ↑ "AEJ خليل ้้้้้็็็็Ⓜ on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  12. ↑ "Syria conflict: Conflicting accounts of Deir al-Zour attack". BBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  13. ↑ Missile kills 11 Islamists, 5 others in Syria’s Idlib. Alarabiyah.com Retrieved 25.01.2016
  14. ↑ "Tide turns in Syrian war with capture of key town" . Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "Syria says 45 killed in Damascus area blast". Fox17. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  16. ↑ Syrian Army begins 3rd phase of Latakia Offensive.
  17. ↑ Syrian army and allies breaks rebel siege of Shi'ite towns - army http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-aleppo-idUKKCN0VC1WI
  18. ↑ "Saudi Ready To Send Ground Troops To Syria". Sky News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  19. ↑ "UAE says it is ready to send ground troops to Syria" . Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "Syria says any foreign troops would 'return in coffins'" . Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  21. ↑ "Moderate Syrian Rebel Factions Face Wipe-Out". VOA. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  22. ↑ "The Syria War Will Not Be a Quagmire -- Because Putin and Assad Are Winning". The Huffington Post. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  23. ↑ "Exclusive: U.S. Allies Now Fighting CIA-Backed Rebels". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
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  25. ↑ "Russian airstrikes destroy Doctors Without Borders-backed hospital in Syria, activists say". Fox News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  26. ↑ "Syria crisis: Hospital strike deliberate, says MSF". BBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  27. ↑ "Turkey PM: Russia acts like 'terrorist organization' - Latest News Briefs - Arutz Sheva". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  28. ↑ Kurds' advance in Syria divides U.S. and Turkey as Russia bombs
  29. ↑ "Saudi ground forces would target ISIS in Syria: minister". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  30. ↑ "Syria conflict: Homs and Damascus bomb blasts kill 140". BBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  31. ↑ STT, AFP. "Yli sata kuoli terrori-iskuissa Syyriassa". KSML.fi – Keskisuomalainen. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  32. ↑ Leith Fadel (21 February 2016). "Battle for Al-Safira Plains in east Aleppo is over: Tiger Forces capture every village". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  33. ↑ "Syrian army seizes Aleppo villages, takes aim at Raqqa". Al-Jazeera. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  34. ↑ jack. "Advances for regime forces in Aleppo countryside". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  35. ↑ "50 IS fighters killed in Syria regime Aleppo advance: monitor". AFP. 21 February 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  36. ↑ "Syria conflict: US-Russia brokered truce to start at weekend". BBC News. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  37. ↑ Leith Fadel (23 February 2016). "Syrian government supply route to Aleppo still cut as fierce clashes continue". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  38. ↑ Leith Fadel (23 February 2016). "ISIS cuts two different government supply routes". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  39. ↑ Leith Fadel (25 February 2016). "Tiger Forces recapture the important city of Khanasser from ISIS". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  40. ↑ "Joint Statement of the United States and the Russian Federation, as Co-Chairs of the ISSG, on Cessation of Hostilities in Syria". U.S. Department of State. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  41. ↑ "Temporary truce comes into effect". BBC News. 26 February 2016.
  42. ↑ Last Hour: Saudi blames Russia, Syria for truce violations
  43. ↑ "Spotlight: Syrian cease-fire holds, remains fragile amid accusations" . Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  44. ↑ John Irish and Stephanie Nebehay (29 February 2016). "Syria ceasefire task force meets, France wants answers on violations". Reuters. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  45. ↑ Leith Fadel (29 February 2016). "Syrian Army officially reopens strategic supply route to Aleppo". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  46. ↑ "Syria rebel leader killed in Golan car bombing" . Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  47. ↑ jack. "135, including 32 civilians, were killed in 7 days of military operations in the truce areas". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
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  54. ↑ "Palmyra: Syria forces 'enter Islamic State-held city'". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  55. ↑ "Nusra Front, Syrian rebels attack government forces near Aleppo, gain ground". Reuters. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  56. ↑ "Syria war: 'Islamic State' loses al-Qaryatain to government forces". BBC. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  57. ↑ "Syrian troops drive Islamic State out of another town". USA Today. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  58. ↑ "Syrian troops take Islamic State-controlled town of Qaryatain". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  59. ↑ "Syrian forces seize Islamic State-held town near Palmyra". Reuters. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  60. ↑ Turkish Court Jails Fighter Wanted By Russia For Killing Pilot
  61. ↑ "Syria army jet downed, pilot captured in Aleppo". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  62. ↑ The man who ate the heart of a regime forces’ soldier “Abu Saqqar” is killed.
  63. ↑ 200 killed in fighting near Syria's Aleppo this week: monitor | Business Standard News
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