Khan al-Shih offensive (October–November 2016)

Khan al-Shih offensive (October–November 2016)
Part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate campaign (Syrian Civil War)
Map of Damascus in October 2016. The Western Ghouta rebel pocket is in the southwest.
Date 1 October[1] – 30 November 2016 (1 month and 4 weeks) Location Western Ghouta, Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria Result Syrian Army victory Army captures the Khan al-Shih rebel pocket of Western Ghouta[2]
Belligerents
Syrian Arab Republic Syrian Armed Forces	Jabhat Fateh al-Sham[3] Ahrar al-Sham[3]
Units involved
Syrian Army 1st Armoured Division[2] 4th Armoured Division[4] 42nd Brigade 47th Brigade 7th Infantry Division[1]	Unknown
Strength
3,700+[5]	1,450–1,946 (at the end of the offensive)[6][7]

The Khan al-Shih offensive (October–November 2016) is a Syrian Army offensive in the Rif Dimashq Governorate that was launched in early October 2016, as part of the Syrian Civil War. Its aim was to take control of the rebel-held part of western Ghouta. The main rebel stronghold in the region was the town of Khan al-Shih.

The offensive

The offensive was launched on 1 October 2016, with the Army taking control of 10 kilometers of farmland around the town of Deir Khabiyeh, east of Khan al-Shih, within 24 hours.^[1] All of Deir Khabiyeh's farmland had been secured by 3 October.^[4] Ten days later, the military seized a former air-defense base west of Deir Khabiyeh, partially surrounding the town on its western and southern side.^[3] The following day, the Army captured Deir Khabiyeh, after which they turned their focus to Khan al-Shih.^[8][9]

Between 7 and 9 October, government troops captured the Milano Steel factory near Al-Mokaylebah, as well as the Al-Wadi area one kilometer west of the town, while also advancing in the northwestern outskirts of Khan al-Shih.^[10][11][12]

On 18 October, a potential agreement on a rebel surrender in the town of Zakiyah was reached.^[13]

By 21 October, after advancing in the Al-Buwaydah Farms on the southwestern outskirts of Khan al-Shih, government forces broke through rebel lines, securing the southwestern axis of the town.^[14] Two days later, the northwestern farms of Khan al-Shih were also captured, partially surrounding the town.^[15] On 24 October, a rebel counter-attack at Khan al-Shih was repelled.^[16]

On 28 October, Khan al-Shih was fully surrounded after a nearby air-defense base was captured by the Army^[17] and thus cutting the rebel's supply route between Khan al-Shih and Zakiyah.^[9] Between 2 and 3 November, government forces again advanced in the Al-Buwaydah Farms area^[18][19][20] and ultimately seized the village of Al-Buwaydah on 4 November.^[21][22] On 3 November 33 rebels were killed in the fighting.^[23]

On 5 November, the rebels in Khan al-Shih started negotiating to surrender and be evacuated from the area.^[24][25] Concurrently, over the next 24 hours, the Army dropped about 35 barrel bombs on the town.^[26] On 6 November, the negotiations collapsed and the Army continued with its operations, taking control of the air-defense housing.^[27] Two days later, a rebel counter-attack against Al-Buwaydah Farms was repelled.^[28] The Army then proceeded to take control of the Drosha road, tightening the siege of Khan al-Shih, which resulted in a new round of surrender negotiations.^[29]

As of 9 November 48 barrel bombs had been dropped on Khan al-Shih and 23 ground-to-ground missiles had been fired at the town.^[30] On 10 November, the rebels managed to make some advances in the area between Al-Buwaydah and Deir Khabiyeh.^[31] Between 11 and 13 November, another 73 barrel bombs were dropped on Khan al-Shih.^[32][33][34] During this time, the Army established fire-control over the Zuhair area in the eastern outskirts of Khan al-Shih^[35] and managed to fully besiege the town.^[34][36] They also took control of the largest rebel weapons factory in the western Ghouta,^[37] an animal farm and Khirbet Khan al-Shih near the Air Defense housing.^[38]

A new rebel counter-attack at Khan al-Shih was repelled on 16 November.^[39] The following day, the Army took control of farms near the town of Mid’aani,^[40] as well as reportedly the Skaik farms of Khan al-Shih.^[41]

On 19 November, the Army made new advances with the capture of the Qusur district in the east of Khan al-Shih,^[42] while they also advanced again in the west of the town.^[43] In the evening, an agreement was reached for the rebels to surrender the town. Under the terms of the agreement, the Army withdrew from the Qusur district it had captured a few hours earlier and a 48-hour ceasefire came into effect. If the ceasefire would hold, the rebels would be evacuated to rebel territory in the Idlib Governorate.^[44] 1,000 rebels were to be transferred to Idlib, while those staying would have their cases settled by the Syrian authorities.^[45]

On 27 November, the rebels handed in their heavy weapons^[46] and 1,450 fighters and 1,400 of their family members departed for Idlib the following day.^[6] On 29 November, militants from Zakiyah also handed over control of the town to the Syrian government and set off towards Idlib, while insurgents in three other nearby villages also agreed to withdraw from Western Ghouta.^[47] The final batch of rebels from Khan al-Shih and all of the nearby villages was evacuated between 30 November and 1 December,^[48][49][50] leaving the area firmly under government control.^[2]

References

Syrian Civil War
Part of the Arab Spring
Background Timeline Background 1963 coup d'état 1966 coup d'état 1970 "Corrective Revolution" 1979–82 Islamic uprising 1999 Latakia protests 2000–01 Damascus Spring 2004 al-Qamishli riots Syrian occupation of Lebanon 2005 Damascus Declaration Human rights in Syria 2011 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) Death of Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb Siege of Daraa Siege of Baniyas Talkalakh siege Siege of Rastan and Talbiseh Jisr ash-Shugur operation Siege of Hama Siege of Homs Jabal al-Zawiya operation Siege of Latakia Deir ez-Zor Clashes Rif Dimashq clashes Battle of Zabadani Battle of Douma Daraa Governorate clashes First Battle of Rastan Shayrat and Tiyas airbase ambush Idlib Governorate clashes Jabal al-Zawiya massacres 2012 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) al-Midan bombing Second Battle of Rastan First Idlib operation First Battle of Idlib First Battle of al-Qusayr Second Idlib operation Battle of Taftanaz Third Battle of Rastan Houla massacre Battle of al-Haffah Al-Qubeir massacre Battle of Tremseh Battle of Damascus Damascus bombing Battle of Aleppo Battle of Anadan Siege of Base 46 First Rif Dimashq offensive Darayya massacre Battle of Khirbet al-Joz Battle of Maarrat al-Nu'man First Siege of Wadi Deif Battle of Harem Second Rif Dimashq offensive Battle of Darayya Aqrab massacre First Hama offensive Halfaya massacre Battle of Darayya Quneitra Governorate clashes Talbiseh bakery massacre 2013 (Jan–Apr • May–Dec) Battle of Safira Battle of Shadadeh Damascus offensive Battle of Raqqa Daraa offensive Third Rif Dimashq offensive Battle of Jdaidet al-Fadl Ghouta chemical attack Al-Qusayr offensive Second Battle of al-Qusayr Bayda and Baniyas massacres Second Hama offensive Hatla massacre Khan al-Assal chemical attack Khan al-Assal massacre Adra massacre Battle of Ras al-Ayn Fourth Rif Dimashq offensive Aleppo offensive 2014 (Jan–Jul • Aug–Dec) First Inter-Rebel Conflict Battle of Markada First Deir ez-Zor Offensive Battle of Mork 2nd Daraa Offensive Maan massacre Al-Otaiba ambush 4th Idlib Offensive Battle of Hosn 2nd Latakia Offensive Battle of Al-Malihah Kafr Zita chemical attack Second Siege of Wadi Deif 2nd Qalamoun Offensive Battle of Arsal First Battle of the Shaer gas field Eastern Syria Offensive Battle for Tabqa Air base 3rd Hama Offensive Quneitra Offensive 6th Rif Dimashq offensive Siege of Kobanî 3rd Daraa offensive 2nd Al-Safira offensive Idlib Raid Second Inter-Rebel Conflict Second Battle of the Shaer gas field Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin 2nd Deir ez-Zor offensive 2015 (Jan–Jul • Aug–Dec) An-26 crash 4th Daraa Offensive Southern Syria Offensive Eastern al-Hasakah offensive 1st Battle of Sarrin 2nd Battle of Sarrin Battle of Bosra 5th Idlib Offensive Second Battle of Idlib Battle of Nasib Border Crossing 2nd Battle of Yarmouk Camp Western al-Hasakah offensive Palmyra offensive (May 2015) Tell Abyad offensive Kobanî massacre Quneitra offensive Palmyra offensive (July–August 2015) 7th Rif Dimashq offensive Northwestern Syria offensive 2015 Aleppo offensive 2015 Al-Hawl offensive Homs offensive (November–December 2015) East Aleppo offensive (2015–16) Latakia offensive (2015–2016) Tishrin Dam offensive 2015 Russian Sukhoi Su-24 shootdown 2016 (Jan–Apr • May–Aug • Sep–Dec) Second Battle of Al-Shaykh Maskin 3rd Deir ez-Zor offensive Sayyidah Zaynab bombings Wusta clashes Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016) Ithriyah-Raqqah offensive (February–March 2016) Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016) February Homs bombings February Sayyidah Zaynab bombings 2016 Khanasir offensive Battle of Tel Abyad Qamishli clashes (April 2016) Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016) Palmyra offensive (March 2016) East Ghouta inter-rebel conflict (April–May 2016) 8th Rif Dimashq offensive Northern Raqqa offensive (May 2016) May 2016 Jableh and Tartous bombings Ithriyah-Raqqah offensive (June 2016) 9th Rif Dimashq offensive Manbij offensive (2016) Tokhar 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign Battle of al-Rai (August 2016) 2016 Aleppo campaign Jarabulus offensive (2016) Western al-Bab offensive (2016) 5 September 2016 Syria bombings September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid September 2016 Urum al-Kubra Aid Convoy Attack September Aleppo offensive 2016 Dabiq offensive Western al-Bab offensive (October 2016) Aleppo offensive (October 2016) Khan al-Shih offensive (October 2016) Northern Raqqa offensive (November 2016) Northern al-Bab offensive (November 2016) Battle of al-Bab (2016) Aleppo offensive (November 2016) Palmyra offensive (December 2016) Battle of Tiyas Military Airbase Spillover Spillover into Lebanon Lebanese–Syrian border clashes Battle of Sidon Iranian Embassy Bombing Northern Lebanon Clashes Syrian-Turkish border clashes December 2011 Syrian–Turkish border clash Turkish aircraft shootdown October 2012 Syrian-Turkish border clashes Reyhanlı bombings January 2014 Turkish airstrike in Syria Israeli–Syrian ceasefire line incidents Jordanian-Syrian border clashes April 2014 Jordanian–Syrian border airstrike Spillover into Iraq Akashat ambush Operation al-Shabah April 2014 Iraqi–Syrian border airstrike
Involved parties Syria Ba'ath Government| Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party Syrian Social Nationalist Party Arab Socialist Movement Syrian Communist Party Military & Militias Syrian Armed Forces Ba'ath Brigades Syrian Resistance Syrian Social Nationalist Party PFLP-GC Palestine Liberation Army Liwa al-Quds Smaller groups Support for the government Hezbollah involvement Iranian involvement Liwa Fatemiyoun Russia's involvement military intervention Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq) Syrian opposition, Al-Qaeda affiliates and allies NCSR Government National Coalition Local Co-ordination Committees Syrian National Council Supreme Council of the Syrian Revolution National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change Syrian Revolution General Commission Syrian Support Group Adopt a Revolution Opposition militias Jaysh al-Halab Fatah Halab Hawar Kilis Southern Front Jaysh al-Islam Al-Rahman Legion Liwa al-Majid Martyrs of Islam Brigade Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union Victory Brigades New Syrian Army Jaysh Usud al-Sharqiya Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo Jabhat Ansar al-Islam Alwiya al-Furqan Army of Conquest Jabhat Fateh al-Sham Ahrar al-Sham Sham Legion Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki Jaysh al-Sunna Suqour al-Sham Brigade Liwa al-Haqq Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria Allied groups Muslim Brotherhood of Syria Grey Wolves Jabhat Ansar al-Din Ansar al-Sham Caucasus Emirate Ajnad al-Kavkaz Junud al Makhdi Support for the Opposition American-led intervention American rescue mission Jordanian intervention Qatari involvement Saudi Arabia Turkey Rojava (SDF) Rojava government Democratic Union Party Kurdish National Council Smaller political groups SDF groups People's Protection Units Women's Protection Units Al-Sanadid Forces Syriac Military Council Army of Revolutionaries Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa Al-Nukhbat Brigade Free Officers Union Northern Democratic Brigade SDF Military Councils Allied groups Euphrates Knights Brigade Kurdistan Workers' Party International Freedom Battalion TKP-Kıvılcım Yekîtî Party Sinjar Resistance Units ISIL Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Military of ISIL Jamaat Bayt al-Maqdis al-Islamiya Dokumacılar Allied groups Khalid ibn al-Walid Army
People Ammar Abdulhamid Ali al-Abdallah Adnan al-Aroor al-Assad family Bashar Maher Rifaat Rami Makhlouf Hafez Makhlouf Riad al-Asaad Anwar al-Bunni Fahd Jassem al-Freij Haitham al-Maleh Moaz al-Khatib Kamal al-Labwani Hamza al-Khateeb Tal al-Mallohi Fida al-Sayed Riad al-Turk Khaled Khoja Ammar al-Qurabi Suheir Atassi Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni Aref Dalila Farid Ghadry Burhan Ghalioun Razan Ghazzawi Ghassan Hitto Salim Idris Randa Kassis Abdul Halim Khaddam Michel Kilo Bassma Kodmani Ali Habib Mahmud Ali Mahmoud Othman Ibrahim Qashoush Dawoud Rajiha Yassin al-Haj Saleh Bouthaina Shaaban Adib Shishakly Abdulbaset Sieda Riad Seif Fadwa Soliman Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid Yaser Tabbara Razan Zaitouneh Rami Jarrah Abdurrahman Mustafa
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