2016 al-Bukamal offensive

Al-Bukamal offensive (2016)
Part of the Syrian Civil War and
the Military intervention against ISIL
Date28–29 June 2016
(1 day)
LocationAl-Bukamal District, Deir-Ez-Zor Governorate, Syria
Result

ISIL victory[1][2][3][4]

  • The NSA withdraws from all positions it had captured back to its base at Tanf[4][5]
Belligerents

Syrian opposition New Syrian Army[6]

  • Pro-NSA Arab clans[6]

Syrian opposition Lions of the East Army[7]
Syrian opposition Ahmad al-Abdo Martyrs Forces[6]
Supported by:
CJTF–OIR

CIA[8]

 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Commanders and leaders

Syrian opposition Khazal al-Sarhan
(New Syrian Army commander)

Syrian opposition Mozahem al-Saloum (NSA spokesman)[7]		 Unknown
Strength
Syrian opposition 125–200 NSA fighters[2][9] Unknown
Casualties and losses
40 killed, 15 captured (ISIL claim)[2]
25+ killed or captured (SOHR claim)[2]
5–40+ killed (NSA claim)[5][10]		 20 killed (NSA claim)[2]

The 2016 al-Bukamal offensive, also known as Operation Day of Wrath, was launched on the town of al-Bukamal on the Syrian–Iraqi border led by the US-backed New Syrian Army (NSA).[11]

The offensive

On 28 June 2016, the New Syrian Army rebels launched the offensive from al-Tanf and captured the village of al-Sukkariya (north of al-Bukamal), the nearby Hamdan Military Airfield, the Ayshat al-Khayri Hospital (in northern al-Bukamal) and several positions in the desert between the Tanf border crossing and al-Bukamal. NSA troops were airlifted to the area by three Coalition helicopters and the advance was aided by FSA covert supporters inside the city.[6] At the same time as the operation started, it was reported that Iraqi Federal Police forces were preparing to simultaneously attack the town of al-Qa'im, on the Iraqi side of the border.[11] However, Iraqi Sunni tribesmen were the ones in fact involved in the operation, and acted ”precipitously and insufficiently in their role”, alerting ISIL of the offensive.[9] ISIL then proceeded to cut power and communications in al-Bukamal, followed by digging trenches around the city.[12]

On the next day, US air cover was withdrawn in the middle of the battle to attack to take part in the Battle of Fallujah.[5] Due to this, ISIL recaptured the airbase, pushed the rebels back from the outskirts of al-Bukamal, and attacked the supply lines of the NSA through the empty desert. ISIL fighters encircled the rebels in a surprise ambush. They reportedly inflicted heavy casualties on the rebels and weapons were seized by the jihadists. The rebels initially retreated to the outlying desert areas,[13][14] before fully pulling back to their base at the Tanf border crossing, 200 miles away.[4][5]

The offensive was described by some as a ”crippling defeat” and a ”Bay-of-Pigs-style fiasco” for the rebels,[1][9] while the SOHR director stated after the defeat that the whole operation ”was more a media show than anything else”.[2] The U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter stated, in regards to the pulling back of the air support for the rebels, ”We missed an opportunity”.[15]

Losses

In an ISIL propaganda video, the NSA suffered 2 known deaths on the battlefield along with 3 fighters from the Ahmad al-Abdo Martyr group who were killed in an ISIL ambush while retreating from al-Bukamal. ISIL, however, claims 40 NSA deaths and 15 captured along with the seizure of a large amount of weaponry consisting of mostly heavy machine guns, mortars, and assault rifles. In addition, ISIL suffered 20 deaths according to the NSA in a combination of a total of 13 Coalition air-strikes and their ground offensive operation. In one instance, a pro-NSA sleeper cell group in al-Bukamal detonated a car bomb that killed 3 ISIL fighters.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "US Backed New Syrian Army Suffers Crippling Defeat".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Times, Los Angeles. "U.S.-backed rebels launched their first attack against Islamic State. They lost.".
  3. ↑ "ISIS repels advance by U.S.-backed Syria rebels near Iraq border".
  4. 1 2 3 "Islamic State routs Pentagon-backed Syrian rebels in fresh setback for U.S. strategy".
  5. 1 2 3 4 "U.S. jets abandoned Syrian rebels in the desert. Then they lost a battle to ISIS.".
  6. 1 2 3 4 "ISIS on alert as rebels advance near Syria-Iraq border". Now News. 29 June 2016.
  7. 1 2 "US-Backed Syrian Rebels Move Toward IS-Held Town Near Iraq". Associated Press. 28 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "CIA Funded and SOF Trained: The New Syrian Army Hits the Ground". Sofrep. 11 September 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 Weiss, Michael (1 July 2016). "They Rescued This Town from ISIS, Then Lost It".
  10. ↑ Syria: IS retakes Hamdan airport base, rebels flee to al-Tanf
  11. 1 2 Leith Fadel. "US begins new operation to drive ISIS away from Iraq-Syria border". almasdarnews.com. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Syria rebels battle IS at Iraqi border, aim to cut 'caliphate' in two". Reuters. 29 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Islamic State forces Syria rebels to retreat from border area". Reuters. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  14. ↑ Adra, Zen (29 June 2016). "In video: ISIS overruns US-backed fighters in Eastern Syria".
  15. ↑ "Pentagon chief on pulling air support for U.S.-backed rebels: 'We missed an opportunity'".
  16. ↑ "The Battle of al-Bukamal: Here's What Really Happened - bellingcat". 2016-07-31. Retrieved 2016-08-19.

Coordinates: 34°26′47″N 40°55′16″E / 34.4463°N 40.9210°E / 34.4463; 40.9210

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