Al-Bab, Syria. 23 February 2017. Turkish armed forces and allied Syrian rebels have achieved full control of the key town of Al Bab, one of the last Islamic State (IS) strongholds in northern Syria. The Turkish forces and the FSA were able to seize the city, in spite of the fierce resistance from the remaining Islamic State fighters in the city, by means of intense warplanes airstrikes and heavy artillery fire. The Islamic State had built an intricate network of tunnels below the city. After capturing Al Bab, Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters have began clearing mines and improvised explosive devices left behind by IS fighters. Images Live has visited the town and witnessed how the entire city lay in ruins and a number of dead bodies are scattered on the ground.

Free Syrian Army Commander Ala Abu Zayd from the Dara’a Al-Furat forces has told Images Live that the city of al-Bab has been completely liberated. He mentioned how during the last ten days the fighting between the Free Syrian Army and IS had been very fierce and that the Free Syrian army had to face the challenge of widely disseminated mines and car suicide attacks from IS fighters. Nevertheless, in spite of the dangerous circumstances the Free Syrian Army had managed to advance, especially during the last three days, and finally liberate the town.

The city of Al-Bab is located north-east of Aleppo and 30 km south of the Turkish border. Al-Bab was one of IS last remaining strongholds in Syria and has a strategic position being located near the Turkish border. In July 2012 the city was seized by rebel forces, but in the summer of 2013 the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant began having a presence in the town, while reaching full control of it by mid November 2013. Since then the town has become an IS stronghold, serving as an important basis for IS’ offensives against the Syrian army and the rebels in the Aleppo province. Turkish troops and their rebel proxies have been fighting since November 2016 to seize the town from IS as part of Operation Euphrates Shield

Operation Euphrates Shield was launched in August 2016 by Turkey. Turkey had justified the operation as its right to self-defence codified in the U.N. Charter Article 51, asserting its right to maintain its border security and drive IS away from the Turkish-Syrian border. The operation was to rely heavily on FSA fighters who in turn were to be backed by Turkish artillery and air support as well as Turkish ground troops. So far Turkey and the FSA have retaken some of IS strongholds among which Dabiq, Jarablus, and al-Bab, while planning to clear smaller villages near Al Bab, and to head to Manbij and Afrin before reaching Raqqa, IS’ main stronghold.

In spite of Turkey’s strong presence, the Battle of al-Bab has been fought on different fronts since November 2016. In addition to a military offensive launched by Syrian rebel groups (including groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army) and the Turkish Armed Forces north of al-Bab, the Syrian Democratic Forces offensive have been fighting east and west of the city, while the Syrian Army was launching an offensive from the south of the town. As the Turkish army was closing in from the north, the Syrian army, which has quickly advanced over the last two weeks, was moving in from the south. The Turkish operation in al-Bab has being conducted in coordination with Russia to prevent clashes with Syrian government forces. Turkish aviation has targeted the city itself while the Russian air force has also bombed IS positions south of al-Bab.

Turkish Operation Euphrates Shield wasn’t just an effort to push the Islamic State away from the Turkish-Syrian border but also a tactic to stop the advance of Kurdish militias who had made ground in northern Syria. After the capture of Manbij by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in August 2016, al-Bab was reported to be the next objective of the SDF campaign. A race towards al-Bab began between the SDF and the Turkish army which was halted in December when Turkey bombed the SDF lunching a message to the SDF to stop their advance. Capturing the city of Al Bab has been of strategic importance to Turkey who never wanted the Syrian Kurds to seize it and unify the territories under Kurdish control in Syria.

The Kurds interests were hampered by the August 2016 agreement between Russia and Turkey which was supported by the Iranians. Based on the agreement Turkey would cease aiding rebels in exchange for Russian neutrality in Turkey’s campaign against the Kurds. Ankara considers the Kurdish YPG a terrorist group, and the same applies for the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which Ankara considers the PKK’s Syrian offshoot. Turkey worries that advances by the YPG in Syria may lead to a Kurdish advance at home. Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik had told journalists in Brussels on 16th February that the Turkish operation in Syria would next be targeting the Kurdish-held town of Manbij, before heading to Raqqa, the Islamic State de facto capital.
The battle for Al-Bab has been fierce with most of the dozens Turkish soldiers killed in the Syria campaign dying there. Moreover, rebel commanders admitted that they had been facing fierce resistance by the Islamic State, with included snipers and roadside bombs. Turkey’s progress in seizing Al-Bab has been slow since mid-November 2016 and that has partially been caused by the Syrian rebel group limited motivation for the battle for al-Bab. Indeed, their primary objective has always been to fight the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, not IS, and they have never been keen to collaborate with the Syrian Army in Al-Bab.

Turkish forces have been accused by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights to be responsible for the killing of more than 124 civilians during the latest two weeks of air strikes and shelling. Ankara has insisted they have been extremely careful to avoid civilian casualties. The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the fate of some 5,000 civilians trapped in and around Al Bab as the fighting was taking place.
Report: Tina Lozio/IMAGESLIVE and Mara Jini/IMAGESLIVE

Photographer: Juma Muhammad/IMAGESLIVE