Siege of Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017)
Siege in the Syrian Civil War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The siege of Deir ez-Zor was a large-scale siege imposed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) against several districts in the city of Deir ez-Zor held by the Syrian Army, in an attempt to capture the city and secure full control of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The ISIL siege of the city lasted for almost 3 years and 2 months, after which the Syrian Army launched a successful offensive that fully recaptured the city nine weeks later.
Siege of Deir ez-Zor | |||||||
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Part of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign of the Syrian civil war | |||||||
Syrian Republican Guard T-72 tank in Deir ez-Zor | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Syria Hezbollah[4] PMF-affiliated militias[4] Russia (Sep 2015 – Nov 2017) | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Issam Zahreddine † (Republican Guard) Yarob Zahreddine[5] (104th Airborne Brigade) Hassan Mohammad[6] (17th Division; since July 2016) Mohammad Khaddour[7] (17th Division; until July 2016 & returned Jan. 2017) Omar al-Alawi (WIA)[8] (Head of Deir ez-Zor NDF) Mudar Makhlouf[9] (Military Intelligence militia commander) Sergei Surovikin (Russian forces commander) Valery Asapov †[10] (Syrian 5th Corps commander)[11] |
Gulmurod Khalimov †[12] (ISIL war minister) (Emir of Deir ez-Zor) Abu Khadijah al-Masri †[13] (ISIL Governor of Deir ez-Zor) Amer al-Rafdan †[14][15] (ISIL leader of Deir ez-Zor) Abu Hamza al-Ansari †[16][better source needed] (ISIL Deir ez-Zor emir) Abu al Faruq †[17] (ISIL Deir ez-Zor commander)[18][self-published source?] Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti †[19] (ISIL top commander) Abu Hadhefah al-Maghrabi †[20][better source needed] (ISIL field commander) | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Military Intelligence Directorate Sootoro[24][25] |
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Strength | |||||||
4,000–5,000 (Besieged, pro-gov. claim)[26] 10,000–15,000 (Relief force, Syrian Army claim)[27] | 5,000–15,000 (Syrian Army claim)[28] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
460–970+ killed[29][30][31][32][33][34] | 1,430–1,970+ killed[35] | ||||||
329–500+ civilians killed, ~400 kidnapped[36][37][38][39] |
In April 2014, ISIL launched a large-scale offensive against Syrian rebel forces in Deir ez-Zor province. This resulted in the total defeat of rebel groups in the area, and ISIL gained control of almost all of Deir ez-Zor Governorate in July 2014. Syrian Government forces remained besieged in the pocket of territory they continued to control.[40] On 10 September 2017, the siege was fully broken by Government forces.[2] After another two months of fighting, the Syrian Army fully recaptured the ISIL-held parts of Deir ez-Zor city and its environs, by 17 November 2017.[41][42]