Aleppo offensive (May 2016)

Aleppo offensive (May 2016)
Part of the Battle of Aleppo (Syrian Civil War)
Date3 May 2016 – present (3 days)
LocationAleppo Governorate, Syria
Status

Ongoing

  • Rebel attack on the al-Zahraa district repelled[1]
  • Jihadists capture Khan Tuman and five other villages[2][3]
Belligerents

Army of Conquest[4]

Jund al-Aqsa[4]
Army of Mujahedeen[6]

Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki[6]

Syria Syrian Arab Republic

Hezbollah[1]

Liwa Fatemiyoun[4]
Casualties and losses
53–113 killed[1][6][5] 57–70 killed[1][2][5]
19 civilians killed[7]

The Aleppo offensive (May 2016) is a military offensive launched by the Syrian rebels to capture government-held areas in the west and southwest of the city of Aleppo, during the Syrian Civil War.

The offensive

On 3 May 2016, the al-Nusra Front detonated a tunnel bomb in the northwestern al-Zahraa district of Aleppo city. The bomb exploded under the ruined Air Force Intelligence Directorate building. The al-Nusra Front, along with the Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki and the Army of Mujahedeen, then stormed the area,[6][7] capturing the Family House amusement park. Dozens of militants on both sides were killed in the intense fighting between the jihadists and government forces, supported by Hezbollah.[1][8] In a subsequent counter-attack, the Syrian Army was able to recapture the areas they had lost.[1][6] During the fighting on 3 May, a rebel shelling of government-held areas of Aleppo, including the al-Dabit hospital, killed 19 civilians.[7]

On 5 May, the United States and Russia agreed on a cessation of hostilities in Aleppo for 48 hours. However, fighting continued in the city and surrounding areas.[9] The same day, the Army of Conquest militants, supported by Jund al-Aqsa, advanced and captured the village of Khalidiyah, west of Khan Tuman and southwest of Aleppo.[4][2] The rebels then launched artillery attack on Khan Tuman. During the fighting, the Army destroyed a car bomb with a rocket.[10] Around 7 a.m. on 6 May,[11] the rebels captured Khan Tuman, as well as four other nearby villages.[5][3][12][13] In all, 43 rebel fighters and 30 soldiers were killed in the rebel assault.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Clashes Between Syrian Rebels, Government Forces In Aleppo Leave Dozens Dead". The World Post. 4 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Leith Fadel (6 May 2016). "Jihadist rebels capture Khan Touman, Al-Khalidiyah in southern Aleppo". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  3. 1 2 khaled. "أكثر من 73 قضوا وقتلوا خلال سيطرة جند الأقصى النصرة والفصائل على بلدة خان طومان وقرى قربها جنوب حلب". المرصد السورى لحقوق الإنسان. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Syrian opposition repels regime forces in S. Aleppo". Anadolu Agency. 5 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Islamist rebels seize village near Aleppo, 73 killed: monitor". Reuters. 6 May 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Over 70 Jihadists killed in failed west Aleppo offensive". Al-Masdar News. 4 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 "Rebels launch assault in Syria's Aleppo, diplomats try to revive truce". Reuters. 2 May 2016.
  8. ↑ Zen Adra (3 May 2016). "Field Report: Islamist rebels storm Army position in west Aleppo. Map Update". Al-Masdar News. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "U.S., Russia agree to extend truce to Aleppo". Reuters. 5 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Jihadist groups unleash offensive south of Syria's Aleppo". Business Standard. 6 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Activists: Insurgents seize village south of Aleppo". The Big Story. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Aleppo province: Jund al-Aqasa and... - Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - Facebook". Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "Qasion News Agency - Nusra front seize over Maarta village and Khantouman town". Retrieved 6 May 2016.
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