Key Facts
- Offensive launched
- 14 September 2015
- Duration of prior ISIS siege
- Nearly 3 years
- Primary objective
- Relief of Kuweires Military Airbase garrison
- Theater
- Aleppo Governorate, southeastern countryside
- Second phase launched
- Mid-October 2015
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 14 September 2015, the Syrian Arab Army, supported by the National Defence Forces and the Al-Ba'ath Battalion, launched the offensive in the southeastern countryside of Aleppo Governorate. A second phase began in mid-October further south, targeting the main supply corridor from central Syria to Aleppo. The dual-axis effort sought to relieve the besieged garrison and extend government depth in the province.
01 / The Origins
Islamic State forces had besieged the Kuweires Military Airbase in Aleppo Governorate for nearly three years, isolating hundreds of Syrian Arab Army soldiers within the base. The prolonged siege threatened a strategically significant airfield and disrupted the main logistical route connecting central Syria to government-held Aleppo, prompting the Syrian government to plan a dedicated relief operation.
03 / The Outcome
The source does not confirm a concluded outcome for the offensive, which was described as ongoing. The stated goals included lifting the siege, relieving trapped soldiers, securing the Aleppo supply line, and potentially cutting the Aleppo–Raqqah highway to bisect ISIS forces in Syria. Definitive territorial changes and final results are not recorded in the available source material.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent