| 2017 Mayadin offensive | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theEastern Syria campaign and the Russian military intervention in theSyrian civil war | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Russia |  Islamic State | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Maj. Gen.Suheil al-Hassan(Operations chief commander) | Unknown | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Military of the Islamic State | |||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 38+ killed(perSOHR)[4] | 180+ killed(per Russia)[5] | ||||||||
The2017 Mayadin offensive was amilitary offensive launched by theSyrian Arab Army against members of theIslamic State (IS) in theDeir ez-Zor Governorate, following the breaking of thethree-year siege of the city ofDeir ez-Zor. The Mayadin offensive, conducted by Syrian Army troops, was conducted with the aim of capturing IS's newde facto capital ofMayadin, and securing the villages and towns around it.[2][3]
The offensive was concurrent with theRaqqa campaign conducted by theSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF) againstIS's former de facto capital city and stronghold inSyria, as well as theWestern Anbar campaign in Iraq.
The Syrian military advanced within 10 kilometers of ISIL's stronghold of Mayadin on 4 October.[6] Concurrently, pro-opposition monitoring groupSyrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that Russian or Syrian airstrikes killed between 38 and 67 civilians who were crossing theEuphrates by boat nearMayadin.[7] The next day, the Republican Guard, 4th Mechanized Division and 5th Legion made more steady advances, putting them within six kilometers of the city.[2]
Syrian soldiers pushed into the city on 6 October from the west.[8] The following day, government sources claimed roughly half of Mayadin was taken by the Syrian Army,[9] while the airport was also taken.[10] Throughout the day, a wave of Russian airstrikes against IS positions near Mayadin and close to the Iraqi border reportedly killed 180 IS militants, including a large number of foreign fighters.[5] By 8 October, IS forces were reportedly encircled within the city.[11][12] However, the next day, an IS counterattack managed to push back Syrian Army troops from Mayadin, with 38 soldiers being killed.[4]
On 10 October 2017, fighting began in the suburbs in preparation to storm the city, according to a source citing SANA.[13] On 11 October, the Syrian Army started encircling Mayadin,[14][15] with the city surrounded by the following day.[16] The Syrian Army then pushed into the western and northern parts of the city,[17] capturing four neighborhoods.[18]
On 14 October 2017, the Syrian Army captured Mayadin city.[1] On the next day, elite Syrian Tiger Forces pushed through much rural territory of Mayadin and made advances towards town ofAl-Asharah, reaching its outskirts.[19] By 17 October, all besieged land between Deir ez-Zor and Mayadin along the Euphrates was captured by the Tiger Forces.[3]
By 20 October, the Syrian Army had crossed the Euphrates, capturing the village of Dhiban, and just hours later reaching the outskirts of the massiveAl-Omar Oil Field complex, the largest such oil field in Syria, which in the pre-war era had contributed one quarter of Syria's oil production.[20] In a surprise move, IS fighters defending Al-Omar Oil Field launched a powerful counterattack on the government bridgehead at Dhiban, forcing government forces to retreat back to the west bank of the Euphrates. During the same day, the Syrian Army advanced southwards from Mayadin, capturing the city ofAl-Quriyah.[21]
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