Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat

Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat
Part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign (Syrian Civil War)
Date9 November 2012[1] – 19 October 2016 (3 years, 11 months, 1 week and 3 days)
LocationDarayya and Muadamiyat al-Sham, Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria
Status

Syrian Army victory

  • Pro-government forces capture Darayya in August 2016; rebels surrender and leave the city after a ceasefire agreement[2][3][4]
  • Rebels surrender and evacuate Muadamiyat al-Sham in October after 4 years of ceasefire[5]
Belligerents

Syria Syrian Arab Republic

Hezbollah[6]
Arab Nationalist Guard[7]
Palestine Liberation Army[8]
Liwa Dhu al-Fiqar[9]

  • Homeland Shield Brigade[9]
Syria Leopards of Homs[10]
Liwa al-Imam al-Hussein[11]		 Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army 
Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union 
Commanders and leaders
Secretary General Hayder al-Juburi[9]
(Liwa Dhu al-Fiqar chief commander)
Unknown Syrian Army assault leader †[7]		 Syrian opposition Abo Jamal [12]
(Martyrs of Islam Brigade chief commander)
Syrian opposition Abdul Rahim [13]
(Martyrs of Islam Brigade commander)
Syrian opposition Osama Abu Zeid †[13]
(Martyrs of Islam Brigade field commander)
Syrian opposition Ahmad Abou Al-Majd †[14]
(Martyrs of Islam Brigade field commander)
Syrian opposition Abu Aref Alayyan †[15]
("key rebel leader")
Faysal al-Shami †[16]
(Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union commander)
Units involved

Syrian Armed Forces

Southern Front

Strength
3,000[18] <1,000 (in Darayya by mid-2016)[19]
Casualties and losses
Unknown 120 killed (August 2015–July 2016)[19]
161,700 residents displaced[13]

The Siege of Darayya and Muadamiyat was launched by the Syrian Armed Forces in late 2012 after rebels took over most of the Damascus suburbs of Darayya and Muadamiyat al-Sham in November 2012. Since then, the power grid in the area was cut off as the government attempted to storm the towns multiple times. During the siege the towns were continuously hit by airstrikes from the Syrian Air Force.[1]

On 24 August 2016 it was confirmed that the rebels and the Syrian Government made a deal in which the rebels would leave the city. They would be able to leave and would be sent up to Idlib with their families. The rest of the civilians would be relocated. [20] The town of Muadamiyat al-Sham was also surrendered on 19 October under a similar agreement.[5]

The siege

2015

The rebels in Darayya launched an offensive in early August 2015, after months of preparations, in an attempt to push back government forces from the town and possibly reach the nearby Mezzeh military airport which had been used to bomb Darayya. After three days of fighting, the rebels reportedly managed to seize several strategic buildings overlooking the airport. During the clashes, 23 rebel fighters died, while the rebels claimed to had killed 70 government soldiers.[21]

2016

In late January 2016, the National Defence Force and the Syrian Republican Guard captured the road linking the two towns from the Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union, cutting the two rebel-held suburbs in two. Government forces also seized several buildings from the rebels.[22]

In late February, the Syrian Army launched an assault on Darayya and took over 20 buildings from Ajnad al-Sham, killing a rebel commander. The town was excluded from a 2-week country-wide ceasefire due to the presence of the al-Nusra Front, which is claimed by the government to control 1/5 of rebel-held Darayya.[16]

In May, ICRC trucks carrying infant formula, vaccines, and school supplies attempted to enter Darayya, but was turned back and denied entry by the 4th Armoured Division.[23][24]

On 1 June, 5 trucks containing infant formula, vaccines, mosquito nets, shampoos, and wheelchairs was allowed entry in the town, with another convoy entering Muadamiyat.[25] On the same day government forces shelled fields in the town, burning crops.[13]

On 6 June the Criterion Brigades launched an offensive called "At Your Service Darayya" in order to draw government forces from Darayya to reinforce the front in Quneitra. The Brigades allegedly seized 2 villages, which was denied by the National Defence Forces.[26]

Later that month on 9–10 June the first convoy of food aid since 2012 was delivered to Darayya by the World Food Programme and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The convoy included bags of flour to last for 4,000 people a month and other food to feed 2,400 a month. Around 8,000 people still live in the town. However, the town was hit by multiple barrel bombs on the same day.[27] On the 16th, the government forces dropped 12 barrel bombs and advanced 42 blocks in the west and south of the town.[13] 500 houses were razed by the government in order to build defensive structures.[28]

On 20 June, rebel forces launched a suicide attack at a government checkpoint on the road between the towns, capturing 12 soldiers. 7 rebels were killed and soon after more than 30 barrel bombs were dropped on Darayya. The attack reportedly reopened a rebel supply line between Darayya and Muadamiyat.[29] After losing nine checkpoints to the rebels, the Army launched a counter-offensive and retook the lost territory. As a result, Ajnad al-Sham units suffered heavy casualties, including two killed commanders.[30]

On 24 June, the Syrian Army, backed by Hezbollah, captured over 25 farms in the Darayya, threatening to cut the rebel pocket in half,[6] and depriving the city of its most important food source.[19] The next day, the government formally offered the rebel groups in Darayya a surrender deal, according to which the rebels would be granted safe passage to other rebel-held areas of Damascus if they gave up their weapons. The FSA and Ajnad al-Sham commanders were given a one-week deadline to respond.[31]

After rebel commanders refused to surrender, government forces resumed their attacks on Darayya on 30 June.[32] On 10 July, the Syrian Army broke through the rebel lines, as it captured much of the Alaya District from Ajnad al-Sham. By this point, the government had retaken half of Darayya from the rebels,[17][33] namely the eastern part. The rebels had suffered heavy casualties, with 120 fighters being killed since August 2015, and fewer than 1,000 remaining in the town.[19] On 13 July, the Syrian Army captured all remaining rebel-held farms of Darayya.[34]

On 15 July, the military advanced to a residential area on the southern side of Darayya,[35] coming close to the Darayya Railway, a rebel stronghold.[36] By this point, the rebels were under threat of the possibility that government forces could split the town in half.[37] Two days later, government forces made more advances in a residential area of Darayya,[38] and in the following night launched a major attack on the city center. Rebel fighters were reported to be on the verge of retreating from the Darayya Association Quarter.[39]

On 20 July, government forces stormed the Association Quarter, seizing several buildings amid fierce fighting.[40] Four days later, rebels reportedly repelled a government attack on southern Darayya,[41] killing the Syrian Army assault leader in the process.[7]

On 28 July, the government launched a new offensive in western Darayya, resulting in fierce fighting.[42] Breaking through rebel lines, the 4th Armoured Division captured a 300 metre long and 450 metre wide strip of territory in western Darayya and killed a "key rebel leader", Abu Aref Alayyan.[15][43] On the night of 1–2 August, government troops captured several buildings around the Bilal Al-Habashi Mosque after heavy clashes with Ajnad al-Sham, with the seized territory being approximately 300 meters long and 250 meters wide.[44] On 5 August, the Army took control of an area, 1 square kilometer in size, near the Bilal Al-Habashi Mosque.[45] Government advances continued on 7 August, as the Syrian Army captured three more building blocks. In course of the fighting, the rebel commander Ahmad Abou Al-Majd was killed.[14]

On 14 August, the government continued its offensive, making major progress by capturing more sites in the Association Quarter and a large part of Darayya's southwestern sector.[46] The next day, Ajnad al-Sham fighters used a secret tunnel to launch a surprise attack on the government forces, overwhelming them and capturing the Al-Wahbi and Al-Qatteh points. Even though the Republican Guard recaptured the two sites later on, the ambush was still a tactical success for the rebels, who had suffered few casualties for several killed government soldiers.[47] On 17 August, government forces captured several building blocks near the Noureddeen Mosque and managed to enter the Railway area of Darayya that had been under rebel control since 2012.[48]

In the early hours of 19 August, reports emerged that the last rebel "field hospital" was destroyed in airstrikes using barrel bombs containing napalm type materials. Later in the day rebel defenses partially collapsed in southern Darayya, as government forces captured the Railway Crossing, 24 building blocks and advanced into the Christian District.[49][50][51] On 21 August, the 4th Armoured Division captured the Nour Al-Deen Mosque[52] and two days later advanced once again on a 200-meter front, coming to within 500 meters of splitting the rebel-held part of Darayaa in two.[53]

On 25 August after a ceasefire agreement, the rebels inside Darayya announced their plan to surrender their weapons and to evacuate themselves and their family members from the town to rebel-held areas in the Idlib Governorate in stages, while other civilians were to be re-located to government-held areas near Damascus.[3][54][55] Over 700 fighters and 300 of their family members[56] were part of the move which was viewed as a strategic win for government forces.[57] The Middle East Eye, however, noted that the status of the surviving Martyrs of Islam Brigade fighters from Darayya "is now cemented as legendary amongst Syria’s opposition for their military heroics. [The group's leader Abo Jamal] is modern Syria’s Leonidas I, and his men the equivalent of the 7,000 Greeks who famously held off the 100,000 strong Persian army for seven days." It was argued that the relocated Martyrs of Islam Brigade, though not of great numbers, had gained much experience in urban warfare during the siege, and thus could also play a decisive role for the Syrian opposition in course of the 2016 Aleppo campaign.[12]

Surrender of Muadamiyat al-Sham

Soon after the rebel surrender in Darayya, reports that rebels and civilians in Muadamiyat al-Sham were also interested in a similar deal.[58] At the negotiations on 30 August, the 4th Armoured Division delegate requested the rebels in the town to surrender their weapons, to allow the government to enter, and to evacuate the remaining civilians. The army threatened "total war" if the terms were not met.[59]

On 1 September, residents of Muadamiyat agreed to a deal under which the town would be surrendered and those rebels who did not wish to give up their arms will be granted safe passage to rebel-held areas of Idlib Governorate.[60][61] The next day, 303 people who were from Darayya, including 62 rebels, left the town as part of the agreement.[62][63] On 8 September, the Syrian government threatened to intensify bombing and shelling of Muadamiyat if rebels did not hand over the town and disarm. In response, rebels proposed to surrender and withdraw 950 rebels to areas under control of the Syrian opposition in Idlib. The Syrian government was reported to be studying the proposal.[64]

On 10 September, a senior Syrian military officer told Al-Masdar News that a large number of opposition fighters surrendered and disarmed themselves at a government checkpoint on the outskirts of the city, asking for amnesty to which the Syrian Armed Forces agreed.[65] On 22 September, an aid convoy from United Nations arrived in the town.[66]

On 19 October, another deal was reached in order to evacuate remaining 700 rebels and 2,300 residents, including family members, from Moadamiyet to the Idlib Governorate.[5] The evacuation began later in the day. The rebels who did not want to leave would have their status regularised per the agreement.[67][68] The last batch of residents left the town on the following day.[69]

References

  1. 1 2 "Top Syria rebel commander killed in battle". The Peninsula Qatar. 16 December 2012.
  2. ↑ Raf Sanchez, Josie Ensor (26 August 2016). "Daraya surrenders to Assad regime after four years of siege and starvation". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 Aug 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Rebels to surrender Syrian town of Darayya to Assad's forces". The Guardian. 25 August 2016.
  4. ↑ Fadel, Leith (27 August 2016). "[Breaking] Syrian Army in full control of Darayya". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "Another opposition-held Damascus suburb to be evacuated on Wednesday". The New Arab. 19 October 2016.
  6. 1 2 Fadel, Leith (24 June 2016). "Syrian Army captures over 25 farms in southern Darayya: map". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 "Daryya Rebels Thwarted another Attempt to Storm the City". El-Dorar Al-Shamia. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (1 September 2015). "Overview of some pro-Assad Militias". Syria Comment. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (24 February 2016). "Liwa Dir' al-Watan: A New Pro-Assad Militia in Damascus". Syria Comment. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (15 May 2016). "The Leopards of Homs: A Pro-Assad Militia". Syria Comment. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  11. ↑ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (6 August 2016). "Liwa Sayf al-Mahdi: A Syrian Army Shi'i Militia". Syria Comment. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  12. 1 2 Browne, Gareth (1 September 2016). "Syria's Thermopylae: Daraya's retreating rebels could tip balance in battle for Aleppo". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "As regime drops hundreds of barrel bombs on Darayya, rebel spokesman says 'history will take note of how the revolution abandoned us'". Syria:direct. 16 June 2016.
  14. 1 2 Charkatli, Izat (8 August 2016). "Rebel commander killed in Daraya clashes". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  15. 1 2 Adra, Zen (28 July 2016). "Field Report: Syrian Army tightens the noose around rebels in Darayya. Map Update". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  16. 1 2 "Top rebel commander killed in Darayya amid Syrian Army advance". Al-Masdar News. 26 February 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Fadel, Leith (11 July 2016). "Syrian Army seizes half of Darayya as rebel defenses fall apart". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  18. 1 2 "The Inside Source". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "With fewer than 1,000 remaining, Darayya rebels 'abandoned' as regime advances". Syria:direct. 11 July 2016.
  20. ↑ "Darayya siege: Residents and fighters ready to evacuate Syrian town - BBC News". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  21. ↑ Syria Direct: News Update 8-6-15
  22. ↑ "Syrian Army begins siege of Darayya in rural Damascus". Al-Masdar News. 28 January 2016.
  23. ↑ "Red Cross aid convoy denied entry to Syrian city of Darayya". The Guardian. 12 May 2012.
  24. ↑ "Is there an end in sight to Assad's starvation policy?". The National. 2 June 2016.
  25. ↑ "Syria, Facing Deadline, Allows Limited Aid to Besieged Town of Daraya". The New York Times. 2 June 2016.
  26. ↑ "Quneitra rebels aim to relieve siege of Darayya". Now News. 7 June 2016.
  27. ↑ "Besieged Syrian Town Gets First Food Aid Since 2012, Then Gets Bombed". The New York Times. 11 June 2016.
  28. ↑ "Regime razes Damascus areas for defensive measure". Now News. 18 June 2016.
  29. ↑ "Syria opposition advances towards besieged Daraya: Reports". Middle East Eye. 20 June 2016.
  30. ↑ Fadel, Leith (21 June 2016). "Islamist offensive in Darayya ends in failure". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  31. ↑ Tomson, Chris (25 June 2016). "Syrian Army offers rebels in Darayya last chance to surrender – Map update". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  32. ↑ Tomson, Chris (30 June 2016). "Syrian Army presses Darayya offensive as rebels refuse to surrender". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  33. ↑ قوات النظام تنفذ هجوماً وتتقدم في كتل سكنية بداريا في غوطة دمشق الغربية
  34. ↑ Fadel, Leith (13 July 2016). "Syrian Army captures all of Darayya Farms: map". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  35. ↑ "Syrian Regime Progressing In Darayya … Opposition Breaks Down A Mine Sweeper - Qasion News Agency". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  36. ↑ Fadel, Leith (14 July 2016). "Syrian Army approaches strategic Darayya Railway". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  37. ↑ "Progovernment forces advance in Syrian cities - The Boston Globe". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  38. ↑ قصف مكثف يرافق الاشتباكات في أطراف داريا وقوات النظام تتقدم في كتل سكنية بالمدينة
  39. ↑ Fadel, Leith (18 July 2016). "Syrian Army begins important military operation inside Darayya". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  40. ↑ Fadel, Leith (20 July 2016). "Syrian Army advances in key town outside Damascus". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  41. ↑ "Regime forces lose in south of Daraya city in countryside of Damascus". Qasion News. 24 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  42. ↑ "New regime offensive over Darayya". Qasion News. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  43. ↑ Renewed clashes and shelling in al-Ghouta
  44. ↑ Fadel, Leith (2 August 2016). "Syrian Army captures new points inside Darayya". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  45. ↑ Fadel, Leith (5 August 2016). "Syrian Army seizes large chunks of strategic west Damascus town". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  46. ↑ Fadel, Leith (14 August 2016). "Syrian Army makes huge advance in key Islamist stronghold outside Damascus". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  47. ↑ Fadel, Leith (16 August 2016). "Islamists carry out surprise attack in Darayya". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  48. ↑ Fadel, Leith (17 August 2016). "Syrian Army makes another large advance in key rebel stronghold". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  49. ↑ Fadel, Leith (19 August 2016). "Syrian Army makes strategic advance in Islamist stronghold". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  50. ↑ Charkatli, Izat (19 August 2016). "Syrian Army advances in Daraya amidst total collapse of jihadist defenses (Video)". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  51. ↑ Violent clashes on the outskirts of Darayya city and the regime forces continue the intensive shelling on the city
  52. ↑ Adra, Zen (21 August 2016). "Field Report: Syrian Army pushes deeper inside Darayya. Map Update". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  53. ↑ Charkatli, Izat (23 August 2016). "Syrian Army on verge of splitting militant stronghold in two". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  54. ↑ Fadel, Leith (26 August 2016). "First phase of Darayya surrender completed". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  55. ↑ Fadel, Leith (2016-08-26). "[Map] Syrian Army in full control of Islamist stronghold". Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  56. ↑ The agreement of Daraya city is taking its first steps
  57. ↑ "Rebels, civilians leave besieged Daraya in symbolic win for Assad". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  58. ↑ Fadel, Leith (26 August 2016). "Islamist rebels preparing to surrender another stronghold to the Syrian Army". Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  59. ↑ "Syria regime threatens besieged Damascus town with "total war"". Now News. 31 August 2016.
  60. ↑ "Syrian suburb surrenders while 25 killed in government airstrikes". Toronto Star. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  61. ↑ "Another besieged Damascus suburb surrenders". The National. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  62. ↑ "Syria: Fear rises as Moadamiyeh evacuation begins". Al Jazeera. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  63. ↑ "300 Syrians Leave Besieged Damascus Suburb After Deal". Voice of America. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  64. ↑ "Syrian rebels in Muadamiyat Al-Sham to surrender". Middle East Monitor. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  65. ↑ "Several rebels surrender to the Syrian Army in Mo'adhimiyah Al-Sham". Al-Masdar News. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  66. ↑ "Syria: Strikes pound Aleppo as UN resumes aid delivery". Al Jazeera. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  67. ↑ "Syrian forces move rebels and civilians from besieged Damascus suburb". Middle East Eye. 19 October 2016.
  68. ↑ "Await for the start of a new displacement operation from the Western Ghouta to the Syrian north". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 19 October 2016.
  69. ↑ "خروج آخر دفعة من مهجري «المعضمية».. وسيناريو التهجير بدأ في حي الوعر". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 20 October 2016.

Coordinates: 33°27′00″N 36°15′00″E / 33.4500°N 36.2500°E / 33.4500; 36.2500

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