Al-Shaddadah
al-Shaddadah
ٱلشَّدَّادَة | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  al-Shaddadah Location of al-Shaddadah in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 36°03′22″N 40°43′49″E / 36.0561°N 40.7303°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | al-Hasakah |
| District | al-Hasakah |
| Subdistrict | al-Shaddadah |
| Control |  Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria |
| Population (2004)[1] | 15,806 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Geocode | C4446 |
Al-Shaddadah or al-Shaddadi (Arabic: ٱلشَّدَّادَة \ ٱلشَّدَّادِي, romanized: aš-Šaddādah / aš-Šaddādī) is a town in southern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The town is the administrative center of the al-Shaddadah Subdistrict, which consists of 16 municipalities. At the 2004 census, al-Shaddadah had a population of 15,806.[1]
Name and geography[edit]
The town's name might be derived from "Shadadu"; a governor of the district of "Suru" mentioned in the annals of the Assyria king Assurnasirpal II.[2] The town is situated off the western bank of the Khabur River. Nearby localities include al-Sabaa wa Arbain to the west.
Civil war[edit]
In the course of the Syrian civil war, the city was attacked by the rebel forces in the February 2013 Battle of Shaddadi and was captured three days later.[3] According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, over 100 Syrian Army soldiers and 40 al-Nusra fighters were killed, as well as dozens of petroleum workers.[4]
The city was later attacked and captured by the Islamic State after the rebel forces fled and it remained one of the last IS strongholds in the province.[5]
When in October 2015, the Kurdish-majority YPG and their multiethnic partners, including the al-Sanadid Forces of the Arab Shammar tribe, joined forces to form the SDF , al-Sanadid leader Bandar al-Humaydi made it an "immediate priority to liberate al-Hawl and al-Shaddadah from the Islamic State.”[6]
On 24 November 2015, it became known that Islamic State militants were transferring their family members further south to the Deir ez-Zor Governorate.[7] After the SDF captured the South Hasakah Dam on 30 November, they continued their offensive southward, towards the city of al-Shaddadah, now IS's last stronghold in al-Hasakah province.[8][9] Subsequently, Arab tribal leaders reportedly urged IS to withdraw from the city "peacefully," in order to prevent civilian casualties and the possible collapse of al-Shaddadi's economic infrastructure, if a destructive battle between the SDF/coalition forces and the Islamic State were to occur.[9] It was also reported that IS was beginning to evacuate some of its positions near al-Shaddadi.[9]
On 19 February 2016, the town was captured by the SDF.[10][11]
On 21 January 2019, US and SDF forces were attacked by a VBIED. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack through an affiliated news service.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "2004 Census Data for Nahiya al-Shaddadah" (in Arabic). Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics. Also available in English: UN OCHA. "2004 Census Data". Humanitarian Data Exchange.
- ^ Albert Ten Eyck Olmstead (1918). The Calculated Frightfulness of Ashur Nasir Apal. p. 241.
- ^ "Syrian rebels say capture eastern town of al-Shaddadeh". Reuters. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ Rebels Seize Syria Town on Iraq Border, Shoot Down Two Warplanes in Idlib Naharnet, 14 February 2013
- ^ Dana, Jean-Yves (7 November 2016). "The offensive to free Raqqa has begun". La Croix International. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ Roy Gutman (27 October 2015). "New allies in northern Syria don't seem to share U.S. goals". McClatchy DC. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "ISIS militants evacuate their families from major stronghold in Hasakah amid dramatic progress by Kurdish-Arab alliance". Ara News. 24 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ Inside The War Against ISIS
- ^ a b c "As Kurdish-Arab alliance prepares to storm Shaddadi, tribal leaders ask ISIS to withdraw to avoid civilian casualties". Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2015-12-05.
- ^ "الشدادي محررة" (in Arabic). Hawar News Agency. 2016-02-19. Archived from the original on 2017-05-17. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "ANF | Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firatê". Archived from the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
- ^ "ISIS car bomb targets US troops in Syria one week after four Americans were killed in Manbij". Retrieved 2019-01-24.
