Turkey-led forces expelled ISIL from al-Bab, shaping territorial control in northern Syria and blocking a contiguous Kurdish corridor.
Key Facts
- Start date
- 6 November 2016
- Location
- al-Bab, Aleppo Governorate, Syria
- Primary attacker (north)
- Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian rebel groups
- Defender
- Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
- Concurrent operations
- Raqqa campaign, Battle of Mosul, Palmyra offensive
- Cities captured by Turkish-led forces
- al-Bab, Qabasin, Bizaah
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
ISIL held al-Bab as a key urban stronghold in Aleppo Governorate. Turkey, seeking to push ISIL from its border region and prevent Kurdish forces from linking their cantons, launched Operation Euphrates Shield. This created a multi-sided convergence of Turkish-backed rebels from the north, the Syrian Democratic Forces from east and west, and Syrian Army units advancing from the south.
Turkish Armed Forces and affiliated Syrian rebel groups assaulted al-Bab from the north to expel ISIL, while the SDF pressed from east and west and the Syrian Army advanced from the south. The battle unfolded concurrently with major anti-ISIL operations at Mosul and Raqqa. Fighting was intense and the Turkish military sustained notable losses before the northern coalition ultimately seized al-Bab.
Turkish-led forces captured al-Bab, Qabasin, and Bizaah; the Syrian Army took Tadef and surrounding southern areas; and the SDF expanded eastward and westward. The outcome blocked formation of a continuous east-west Kurdish corridor. An alleged 'Aleppo for al-Bab' deal suggested Turkey withdrew support for rebels in Aleppo in exchange for freedom of operation toward al-Bab.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
4 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent