The Battle of al-Bab was a battle for the city of al-Bab in the Aleppo Governorate that included a military offensive launched by Syrian rebel groups (including groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army) and the Turkish Armed Forces north of al-Bab, a separate Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) offensive east and west of the city, and another Syrian Army offensive from the south of the city. The northern Turkish-led forces intended to capture al-Bab from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as part of the Turkish military intervention in Syria. By the end of the battle, the Turkish-led forces had captured al-Bab, Qabasin, and Bizaah, while the Syrian Army captured Tadef and other areas further south, with the SDF making gains further to the east and the west.
The battle was concurrent with the other anti-ISIL operations, including the Raqqa campaign launched by the SDF, the Battle of Mosul launched by the Iraqi forces, and the Palmyra offensive, which was successfully conducted by ISIL against Syrian government forces. It was also claimed by Kurds to be the result of an "Aleppo for al-Bab" agreement between the Syrian government and Turkey, with Turkey withdrawing its support to rebels in Aleppo in exchange to laisser-faire up to al-Bab, thus cutting short the possibility of an East-West Kurdish corridor.
Background
After the western al-Bab offensive during the previous month, the rebels moved their focus from the western countryside of al-Bab so to avoid confrontation with the Syrian Democratic Forces, and launched an assault against the Islamic State north of al-Bab.
The offensive
Northern rebel attack repelled
Between 6 and 14 November 2016, the rebels captured 36 villages, putting them within two kilometers of al-Bab. Meanwhile, the Syrian Democratic Forces captured seven villages east of al-Bab in an attempt to besiege the town of Arima.
On 14 November, rebel forces managed to enter the northern outskirts of al-Bab, but were facing stiff resistance, with fighting raging at a livestock market two kilometers north of the town. By this point, al-Bab was surrounded from the north and northwest, with the only retreat route remaining for ISIL to the southeast towards Raqqa, through the ISIL-held town of Dayr Hafir. In the evening, the rebels established fire control over the Jafirah Roundabout and seized several adjacent buildings in the northern part of al-Bab, leaving them in control of less than 5 percent of the city. However, the next day, the rebels were forced to withdraw one kilometer to the north of al-Bab. Meanwhile, the rebels took control of the town of Qabasin, northeast of al-Bab.
The Turkish military stated on 18 November that the FSA had captured five villages in the Karadağ area of al-Rai district.
On 19 November, ISIL recaptured Qabasin, as well as one nearby village. This marked the fourth time the town had changed hands in the previous four days. On 20 November, the rebels launched two counter-attacks against Qabasin, with both being repelled. The next day, the rebels redirected their assault from al-Bab to the Kurdish-held village of Sheikh Nassir, managing to seize the village in the early morning hours, but losing it in an SDF counter-attack in the afternoon. Between 22 and 23 November, Qabasin changed hands two more times, ultimately remaining under ISIL control.
Western and eastern encirclement of al-Bab
On 23 November, the SDF captured Arima. In response, Turkish artillery shelled the SDF-held villages in the area.
On 24 November, according to the Turkish military, the Syrian Arab Air Force conducted an airstrike against Turkish Special Forces and Turkish Free Syrian Army (TFSA) aligned Turkish-backed rebels north of al-Bab, killing three Turkish soldiers and injuring ten. Turkish officials initially stated the casualties were due to an ISIL attack, before blaming the Syrian Air Force. However, the pro-opposition activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) disputed it was an air strike and stated it was in fact an ISIL suicide attack. ISIL confirmed it conducted a suicide attack in the area. Later, the Turkish Prime Minister's office issued a gag order on reporting about the airstrike, while the main Turkish opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu called on the Turkish government to "act with common sense". In the evening, the Syrian Air Force officially denied it or the Russian Air Force had conducted an air strike against Turkish forces. The same day, the SDF, with support from government forces, captured three villages from ISIL west of al-Bab, coming within 10 kilometers of the city. The rebels also took two villages east of al-Bab, reaching the main road between al-Bab and Manbij for the first time.
Between 25 and 27 November, the SDF captured two villages from ISIL west of al-Bab, while the rebels took three to the east. Additionally, the rebels launched an attack on two SDF-held villages east of the city, with unclear results. At the same time, pro-government forces also advanced, taking control of four villages from ISIL to the west of al-Bab.
On 28 November, the Syrian Army captured a village from the Turkish-backed rebels west of al-Bab, coming within 5 kilometers of the city. On 29 November, ISIL claimed it had captured two Turkish soldiers and their Turkmen translator near al-Dana village, west of al-Bab. The Turkish military confirmed it had lost contact with two soldiers, but didn't confirm that ISIL had captured them.
Offensive slows
On 2 December, the rebels were ordered not to advance on the center of the city for the time being. The wider offensive had also slowed down, with no progress being achieved by the rebels during the following two days.
The rebels captured two villages west of al-Bab in a fresh assault on 9 December, in addition to part of the highway between al-Bab and Manbij. Meanwhile, 300 Turkish commandos were sent as reinforcement. On 10 December, the rebels captured several areas including some in the Aqil Mountains to the west of al-Bab. The next day, the rebels entered the city from the northwest after heavy clashes.
The Turkish military dropped leaflets on al-Bab on 12 December, urging civilians to seek shelter as the rebels advanced. Still, the rebel advance soon slowed down due to ditches, mines and explosives left by ISIL. Despite this, Numan Kurtulmuş, the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, stated that preparations for a final operation on al-Bab were underway. On 17 December, the rebels captured a village in the area.
Turkish-led attack from the west repelled
On 21 December, the rebels gained control of a part of the highway between Al-Bab and Aleppo. Nonetheless, the day soon became the deadliest thus far for Turkish forces in Syria. According to the Turkish government, 16 Turkish soldiers were killed in suicide bomb attacks and clashes, while 33 were wounded. It also claimed 138 ISIL fighters were killed in Turkish airstrikes on 67 ISIL targets. ISIL meanwhile claimed to have killed more than 70 Turkish soldiers, while capturing two Leopard 2 tanks. The fighting started when rebels and Turkish forces captured the Al-Bab National Hospital, as well as the highly strategic Aqil Mountains/Jabal 'Aql in West of Al-Bab. However not long after, ISIS militants launch counter-attack with heavy fire from the town. ISIS suicide bomber named "Abu Osama Al-Shami" drove an SVBIED towards the Turkish armor located southwest side of the National Hospital, inflicting heavy casualties on the Turkish position. The counterattack recaptured both the hospital and the mountains as result, repelling the Turkish-led attack. Another attack was launched by the rebels on 22 December. SOHR reported that 72 civilians were killed in Turkish airstrikes during the day, with another 23 killed on the next day.
Despite the losses, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated on 23 December that the operation to capture al-Bab was almost complete and that the FSA would capture the city soon. The same day, the Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Işık stated that the Aqil Mountains had been cleared of ISIL. The Turkish-backed rebels also later captured the Al-Farouq hospital. However, an ISIL counterattack in the early hours of 25 December, once again recaptured the hospital and Aqil Mountains. Meanwhile, 30 civilians trying to flee the city were reportedly killed by explosives planted by ISIL.
Russian air support for Turkey
On 26 December, pro-Syrian government sources reported that the Russian Air Force directly backed the Turkish Army for the first time since the start of the Russian intervention in Syria. However, despite Su-24 and Su-34 bombers carrying out airstrikes against ISIL fighters, Turkish-backed rebel forces were unable to maintain control over newly captured areas. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Kurtulmuş denied the reports that the Russian Air Force was assisting the Turks in the battle, while an additional 1,000 Turkish commandos and 2,000 rebel reinforcements arrived on 27 December.
A Turkish official stated on 29 December, that the Russian Air Force had hit ISIL in al-Bab for the first time, carrying out airstrikes against it in the southern part of the city. He also added that Turkish forces were assaulting the northern and western parts of the city. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu confirmed the airstrikes but stated that there was no joint operation between Russia and Turkey. On 31 December, the Turkish-backed rebels managed to capture another village to the west of al-Bab, while Syrian Democratic Forces entered the villages of Mura'naz and Kuljabreen, clashing with the Turkish-backed rebels there.
Between 2 and 3 January, both Turkish and Russian airstrikes hit ISIL targets in the al-Bab area. United States Department of Defense spokesman Peter Cook meanwhile stated that it had assisted Turkish forces by providing it with air cover a week earlier, but did not carry out any airstrikes. On 4 January, ISIL was reported to have withdrawn its senior fighters to defend Raqqa and Mosul, leaving less experienced members to defend al-Bab. Both Turkish President Erdoğan and the rebels stated that the offensive to capture the town would be finished soon. However, two days later, Turkish Defence Minister Işık stated that the Turkish-backed rebels were fighting street battles against ISIL in al-Bab but had slowed down their advance in order to avoid civilian casualties.
Turkish-backed rebel assault from the east and Syrian Army assault from the south
After failing to penetrate al-Bab from the north or west, rebel and Turkish forces started assaults from the east. On 8 January, Turkish-backed rebels captured Um Adasa and Makri Hill near Bizaah. The next day, the rebels once again advanced near Bizaah, capturing Zammar and Asfar Tepe. With these advances, the rebels were attempting to flank al-Bab from the east. Still, in the period between 1 and 14 January, the rebels made eight attempts to capture the nearby village of Al-Suflaniyah, with all of them being repelled. At one point, on 13 January, the rebels managed to capture Suflaniyah temporarily, but had to retreat from it after an ISIL counter-attack.
A local media activist claimed the Syrian Army and its allies launched an offensive to take al-Bab on 15 January, using the Kuweires Military Airbase as a launch pad for attacks on Tadef and Abu Jabaar to the south of the city. However, a pro-government source reported preparations were still being made for the offensive. Meanwhile, the Turkish military had reportedly prepared a new plan to capture the city.
On 17 January, the Syrian Army launched an assault led by its Tiger Forces (capturing a village to the south of the city), the United States Armed Forces stated that they had carried out airstrikes against ISIL near al-Bab, and Russia and Turkey carried out their first joint airstrikes against ISIL, targeting it in the suburbs of al-Bab. The SAA captured three more villages to the south of the city within the next two days. The Syrian Army captured another village to the south of the city on 20 January. The Turkish-backed rebels later recaptured Suflaniyah. Five Turkish soldiers were killed in an ISIL attack later on the village.
The Syrian Army and its allies captured seven villages to the southwest of al-Bab between 22 and 23 January. Suflaniyah changed hands twice, ultimately remaining under rebel control. However, some Turkish activists claimed the village was never recaptured by ISIL. On 23 January, Turkish-backed rebels were reported to have captured Tel Rehal and Kharabishah villages. However, Tel Rehal was later reported to have been captured by the SAA, who also took three other villages. On the same day, Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmuş denied claims that Turkey would hand over al-Bab to the Syrian Army. The Turkish-backed rebels recaptured Suflaniyah after having lost it earlier.