Battle_of_Markada

Battle of Markada

Battle of Markada

Military confrontation between two jihadist groups

The Battle of Markada (also spelled "Markadah" or "Markadahin")[4] was a military confrontation between two jihadist groups, al Qaeda's al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), over the town of Markada in the Al-Hasakah Governorate, in March 2014 during the Syrian civil war.[3] The strategic importance of the town to the ISIL lay in its position on the group's weapons supply route from Iraq, the road linking Al-Hasakah with Deir ez-Zor and a hill that dominates the surrounding area.[5] On the ISIL side there were many Sunni Iranians, including Kurds, who played an important role in the battle.[6]

Quick Facts Date, Location ...

Battle

The battle started on 21 March 2014,[3] with fighting near Markada's grain silos that left 27 al-Nusra Front fighters dead and others missing.[7]

On the morning of 27 March, ISIL attacked the town, which was being held by the al-Nusra Front. ISIL managed to force al-Nusra to withdraw to the town's hospital and the mountain overlooking Markada.[8]

Before dawn on 29 March, clashes erupted in the town[9] as ISIL attacked the hospital and al-Nusra positions in the mountain.[8] After heavy fighting that left 43 al-Nusra and 13 ISIL fighters dead,[7] ISIL took full control of the town[1] as al-Nusra forces retreated towards the town of al-Sour in the eastern rural area of Deir ez-Zor province. Many al-Nusra fighters were also captured.[10] Among those killed was also the top provincial ISIL commander,[1] Omar al-Farouk al-Turki.[8]

On 31 March, al-Nusra launched a counterattack in an attempt to recapture the town.[7] By this time, the number of those killed since the start of the fighting had risen to 120.[3]

References

  1. [1]
    "ISIS seizes town from Nusra in Hassakeh province". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  2. [2]
    Nance (2016), pp. 54–55.
  3. [3]
    "Syrian army retakes key post in regime bastion Latakia". Your Middle East. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  4. [4]
    Nance (2016), p. 55.
  5. [5]
    "At least 52 dead fighters from the front and the victory of the Islamic State". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  6. [6]
    A history of support for Kurdish extremists comes back to haunt Tehran
  7. [7]
    "Syria killed 30 Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant Brive-Hasakah". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  8. [8]
    "Organization "Daash" controlled Mrkdh, and mourns his military commander in the Al-Hasakah". كلنا شركاء في الوطن. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  9. [9]
    "A bomb explosion in Deir al-Zour and clashes in Al-Hasakah". Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  10. [10]
    "ISIS kills 35 fighters from Jabhat Al-Nusra and Islamic battalions". Retrieved 25 October 2014.

Bibliography

35.7333°N 40.7667°E / 35.7333; 40.7667
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Battle_of_Markada, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.