Battle of Tell Abyad (2013)

On 20 July 2013, the Kurdish Front Brigade captured Khalaf Thiyab "Abu Musab", an al-Nusra commander and 4 other Nusra members on charges that they attempted to blow up themselves in the "People's House", the Democratic Union Party office in Tell Abyad. Clashes then erupted in the town. By the next day, more than 1,000 residents were detained by Islamist groups in order to pressure the PYD to release the al-Nusra members, and both were released. Hundreds of residents fled the town.^[2]

On 22 July, ISIL raided, looted, and demolished dozens of houses of the hundreds of Kurdish civilians who fled after their neighbourhoods were attacked by tanks and other heavy weapons.^[2] More than 10 al-Nusra fighters were killed.^[6] YPG and Kurdish Front forces surrounded the Akçakale border crossing which was then closed by Turkey.^[4] By the next week, ISIL defeated the Kurdish forces and took full control of Tell Abyad, forcing thousands of Kurdish civilians to flee.^[1]

Many Kurdish refugees from Tell Abyad fled to nearby Tell Akhdar. 70% of its residents had already fled. In August 2013 Ahrar al-Sham took over the village. On 13 October, clashes renewed between joint Kurdish forces and ISIL west of Tell Abyad.^[7]

In January 2014, infighting erupted between Ahrar al-Sham and ISIL and the latter gained complete control over the Tell Abyad countryside. Clashes between the YPG and ISIL west of Tell Abyad again renewed in March. Hundreds of ISIL militants surrounded Tell Akhdar and threatened to kill all those who remained in the village. All residents fled and most became refugees in Kobanî, which was also besieged.^[1]

In February 2015, Euphrates Volcano forces advanced into the northern Raqqa countryside from both the west and the east, capturing 19 villages.^[8] Tell Abyad was then captured on 16 June 2015.