2013 Latakia offensive
Campaign during the Syrian Civil War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2013 Latakia offensive (called The Descendants of Aisha, Mother of the Believers by Salafist jihadists,[19] and the Operation Liberation of the Coast[14] by the Free Syrian Army and its supporters) was a campaign during the Syrian Civil War launched by rebel groups led by Salafi jihadists[14] in the Latakia Governorate. The stated aim of the offensive was to conquer al-Haffah city, but government supporters assumed conquering Mount Nabi Younes was more likely the real aim.[1] A calculated side effect may have been to spark more sectarian violence in Syria[15] by carrying out a sectarian attack on an Alawite-majority area.[19] The offensive began in early August 2013. During the campaign, rebel forces captured a dozen villages.[1] However, in mid-August, the military counter-attacked and recaptured all of the territory previously lost to the rebels.[2][20]
2013 Latakia offensive | |||||||
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Part of the Syrian Civil War | |||||||
The situation in the Latakia Governorate in August 2013 Syrian Army control
Opposition control | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Junud al-Sham[5]
Harakat Sham al-Islam[6] | Syrian Resistance | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Walid Aouss † (Rejal Ahoudou Allah Leader)[7] Kahtane Haaj Mohammed † (al-Tawhid Brigade Commander)[8] Ans Chyghani † (Al Izzatullah wal nasr minAllah Brigade Commander)[9] Abu Moaz[4] (Ahrar al-Sham Commander) Abu Mustafa[4] (Ansar al-Din Commander) Muslim Abu Walid al Shishani[5] (Junud al-Sham Commander) Abu al-Hassan Ammar † (FSA spokesman)[10] |
Hilal al-Assad (Latakia NDF commander)[11] Nizar al-Khatib † (Tartus NDF commander)[12] Mihrac Ural (Syrian Resistance Commander) | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Suqour al-Ezz[4][13][14] Liwa al-Mujahideen[14] Kataib Ansar al-Sham[13] Harakat Sham al-Islam[14] Katibat al Muhajiroon[4] Ahrar ash-Sham[4] Ansar al-Din Front[4] Junud al-Sham[5] |
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Strength | |||||||
1,500–2,000 fighters[15]
| 5,000 soldiers | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
107 fighters killed[17] (up until Army counter-attack) | 114–127 soldiers[18] and 44 militiamen killed[3] | ||||||
190–205 civilians killed[3] |