Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign
Military operation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign of the Syrian civil war consists of several battles and offensives fought across the governorate of Syria:
- Deir ez-Zor clashes (2011–2014)
- Battle of Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017)
- 2016 Abu Kamal offensive
- Raqqa campaign (2016–2017) (the SDF first entered Deir ez-Zor Governorate)
- Syrian Desert campaign (December 2016–April 2017)
- Deir ez-Zor campaign (2017–2019)
- Eastern Syria campaign (September–December 2017)
- Syrian Desert campaign (December 2017–present)
- Deir ez-Zor Governorate clashes (April 2018)
- Eastern Syria insurgency
- Iranian strike on Hajin
- Deir ez-Zor clashes (2023)
- Deir ez-Zor offensive (2024)
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Date26 November 2011 – 18 January 2026
(14 years, 1 month, 3 weeks and 2 days)
(14 years, 1 month, 3 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Result
Syrian transitional government victory
- Siege of Deir ez-Zor broken in September 2017.[1]
- SAA captures the city of Deir ez-Zor by November 2017.
- SDF captures the majority of the Euphrates' eastern bank.
- Eventual territorial defeat of ISIS by March 2019.[2]
- Continued IS low-level insurgency.
- Sporadic conflict between the SAA and SDF.
- Ba'athist Syrian and Russian forces withdrawal from Deir ez-Zor; SDF completely take over the city of Deir ez-Zor.[3]
- SDF captures the 7 villages of the "Khasham Pocket" on the east bank of the Euphrates.[4]
- Opposition forces takeover the city of Deir ez-Zor after the fall of the Assad regime.[5]
- SDF completely withdrew from the governorate following a ceasefire with the Syrian transitional government.[6]
| Deir ez-Zor Governorate campaign | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Syrian civil war and Aftermath of the Syrian civil war | |||||||||
Map of Syria with Deir ez-Zor Governorate highlighted. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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 Revolutionary Commando Army (until 2024) |
 Islamic State | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| See below | |||||||||
Order of battle
Pro-government forces
Syrian Arab Armed Forces
Syrian Army
- 1st Armoured Division
- 3rd Armoured Division
- 4th Armoured Division
- 38th Brigade
- 5th Corps
- 17th Division
- 18th Armoured Division
- 137th Brigade
- Republican Guard
- 104th Brigade
- 800th Regiment
- Tiger Forces
Syrian Air Force
National Defence Forces
- Military Intelligence Directorate
- Lebanese Hezbollah[11]
- Syrian Hezbollah
Russian Armed Forces
Russian Ground Forces
- 29th Army
- 200th Artillery Brigade[14]
- Special Operations Forces[15]
- 29th Army
- Russian Aerospace Forces
Russian Navy
- Wagner Group
- 5 Storm unit[16]
PMF-affiliated militias
- Kata'ib al-Imam Ali
- Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
- 12th Mechanized Brigade
- Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
- Kata'ib Hezbollah
- Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
- Kafeel Zaynab Brigade
Iraq (since 2017, against ISIS only)
Other armed groups:
- Shabiha (2011–12, merged into NDF)
Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas (2011–14, rebel claim)[18]- Foreign Shia groups
Syrian Resistance
- Falcons of the Jazira and Euphrates[20]
Palestinian groups
Sootoro[24][25]- Allied local tribes
Rebel forces
Free Syrian Army/SNC-aligned units[26]
The rebel units in eastern Syria were originally largely independent and unorganized, until many accepted the authority of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNC) in late 2012. The authority of the SNC remained mostly nominal, however, and by late 2013 this alliance already began to disintegrate again.[26]
- 3rd Infantry Division
- 4th Infantry Division
- 5th Commando Division
- 7th Division
- 11th Division
- Liwa Jund al-Rahman
- Liwa Chouhada' Deïr ez-Zor
- Ahfad al-Rasul Brigade
- Liwa al-Khadra'
- Liwa al-Abbas
- Liwa al-Qadisiya
- Liwa al-Muhajirin ila Allah
- Lions of Al Jazeera[27]
- Retribution Army[28][29]
- Al-Tawhid Brigade[30]
Over time, several units left the SNC alliance due to differences, and formed new, often more Islamist coalitions. Nevertheless, these new alliances generally remained allied with the council.
- Harakat Abna' al-Islam
- Jaysh Al-Tawhid (also member of the Syrian Islamic Front)
- Kata'ib al-Ansar
- Kata'ib al-Sa’iqa
- Jaysh Ahl as-Sunna wa-l-Jama’a (formed from former Authenticity and Development Front member groups)
- Liwa al-Athar
- Liwa Usud as-Sunna
- Liwa Ahl al-Raya
- Jabhat al-Jihad wal-Bina' al-Islamiyya (under command of the Islamic Court of Deir ez-Zor)
- Liwa Jaf’ar al-Tayyar
- Liwa la Ilaha illa Allah
- Liwa al-Hawaz, Liwa Ibn Qiam
- Liwa al-Risalla
- Liwa al-Tawhid al-Islami
- Liwa Othman bin Afan
- Liwa Ahfad Mohammad
- Liwa Sarayat al-Rasoul
- Liwa Sadiq al-Amin
- Tajamm’u al-Rachidin
- Brigade of al-Qaka[31]
Radical jihadists
Besides the SNC and the allied Islamist coalitions, there were also number of radical jihadist groups active in Deir ez-Zor; though they normally also cooperated with other, more moderate rebels, they also worked with the Islamic State, especially in Deir ez-Zor's hinterland.[32][26]
Al-Nusra Front[33][26][32]- Liwa al-Fatihoun min Ard ash-Sham[26]
Ahrar al-Sham[26]
SDF forces and allies
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (since 2016)
Syrian Democratic Forces
People's Protection Units (YPG)
Women's Protection Units (YPJ)- Deir ez-Zor Military Council
- Gathering of al-Baggara Youth[35]
- Khabat al-Sha'iti Battalion[36]
- Hajin battalion[36]
Al-Sanadid Forces[37]
Manbij Military Council[38]
Manbij Revolutionaries Battalion[39]- Martyr Abdo Dushka Regiment[40]
Army of Revolutionaries[41]
Northern Democratic Brigade[41]
Syriac Military Council (MFS)[42]
- Special Forces unit[43]
Nattoreh[44]
- Federal security forces
International Freedom Battalion (IFB)
Foreign support:
CJTF–OIR
United States
United Kingdom[50]
- British Armed Forces
Royal Air Force[51]
British Army
- Special Air Service (unconfirmed by authorities)[52][53]
- British Armed Forces
France[54]
French Air Force
French Army
- 68e régiment d'artillerie d'Afrique[55]
- French SOF[56]
Netherlands
Denmark (2016)
Australia (2016)
Iraq (minor cross border support since 2018, against ISIS only)[59]
Russia (air support since 2018, against ISIS only)[61]
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Pro-ISIS forces
Islamic State (IS)
- Military of ISIS
- Wilayat al-Khayr (until 2018)
- Wilayat al-Sham (since 2018)[62]
- al-Barakah district (2016–2019)
- al-Khayr district (2018–19)
- al-Furat district (2018–19)