page_title: Battle of al-Bab
section_title: Turkish-backed rebel assault from the east and Syrian Army assault from the south
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of al-Bab / The offensive / Turkish-backed rebel assault from the east and Syrian Army assault from the south
caption_attribution_description: English: A simplified map of the advancements during the battle of Al Bab. Created in gimp 2.8. Influenced by many maps from creators: MrPenguin20, PetoLucem, Edmaps Syria, and so on.
context_page_description: The Battle of al-Bab was a battle for the city of al-Bab in the Aleppo Governorate during the Syrian Civil War that included a military offensive launched by Syrian rebel groups and the Turkish Armed Forces north of al-Bab, a separate Syrian Democratic Forces 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 prevent the SDF taking al-Bab from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant by taking it themselves, 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.
context_section_description: 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.
  On 25 January, the Syrian Army captured Shaalah village, as well as the Shaalah radar base. On the next day, the SDF repelled an ISIL attack on their positions east of al-Bab. The Syrian Army captured three villages to the south during the same day as well as al-Mamoun University. The SAA captured a strategic hill during a midnight assault. On 28 January, the Syrian Army seized two more villages and another two the next day, while the rebels captured two hills in the region. On 30 January, the Syrian Army seized two more villages, as well as a hill.
  On 1 February, the Turkish-backed rebels captured 2 villages to the southwest of al-Bab, cutting the main road between the city and Aleppo from another side in front of the recent advances by pro-Syrian government forces who had come with 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). Meanwhile, SAA also captured a village to the south of Kuweires airbase. The rebels captured a village, a hill, 2 farms and 4 settlements to the east of Bizaah.
  On 3 February, UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujjaric estimated that around 30,000 civilians had fled al-Bab, and that 10,000 still remained inside of the city.
  On 4 February, the rebels captured Bizaah though ISIL recaptured it later. Meanwhile, SAA captured a town to the south of al-Bab. On the next day, the SAA, with support from Hezbollah and Russian artillery, captured a village to the south of Kuweires Airbase, and another village to the south of al-Bab, as well as Tal Uwayshiya hill, which overlooks the main supply route to al-Bab. The SAA advance effectively cut off the last main supply route to the city, putting it under a siege. Meanwhile, the Turkish military stated that Abu Khalid al-Urduni, I
caption: Map of the battle up to February 1
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