Aleppo offensive (May 2016)

The Aleppo offensive (May 2016) is a military offensive launched by the Syrian rebels to capture government-held areas in the west and southwest of the city of Aleppo, during the Syrian Civil War.

The offensive

On 3 May 2016, the al-Nusra Front detonated a tunnel bomb in the northwestern al-Zahraa district of Aleppo city. The bomb exploded under the ruined Air Force Intelligence Directorate building. The Al-Nusra Front, along with the Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki and Army of Mujahedeen then stormed the area, capturing the Family House amusement park. Dozens of fighters on both sides were killed in the intense fighting between the jihadists and government forces, supported by Hezbollah. In a subsequent counter-attack, the Syrian Army was able to recapture the areas they had lost. Overall, 75 pro-government fighters died, including 46 Palestinian militiamen from the Liwa al-Quds group who were killed in the tunnel bombing. During the fighting on 3 May, rebel shelling of government-held areas of Aleppo, including the al-Dabit hospital, killed 19 civilians.

On 5 May, the United States and Russia agreed on a cessation of hostilities in Aleppo for 48 hours. However, fighting continued in the city and surrounding areas. The same day, the Army of Conquest militants, supported by Jund al-Aqsa and the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (TIP), advanced and captured the village of Khalidiyah, west of Khan Tuman and southwest of Aleppo. The rebels then launched artillery attack on Khan Tuman. During the fighting, the Army destroyed a car bomb with a rocket. Around 7 a.m. on 6 May, the rebels captured Khan Tuman, as well as five other nearby villages. In all, 62 pro-government fighters and 57 rebels were killed in the rebel assault. During the clashes, an air strike hit a heavy concentration of rebels, killing 18 fighters.

Following the capture of Khan Tuman, hundreds of government reinforcements, including Palestinian militiamen, were sent to help recapture the town. Preparations were being made for a counter-attack, with Russian air-strikes reportedly hitting rebel positions in the area. On 7 May, government troops recaptured three villages.

The counter-attack against Khan Tuman started on 8 May, and was reportedly repelled. By 11 May, the fighting in the area of Khan Tuman left 173 fighters dead on both sides and more than 300 wounded. Among those killed on the rebel side were 35 Turkistan Islamic Party members as well as a number of Uzbeks. Among pro-government dead were 55 Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis and Lebanese.

Overnight between 11 and 12 May, heavy Russian air-strikes hit rebel positions in the area of Khan Tuman.