Skip to content
The War AtlasThe · War · Atlas

BATTLE // November 6, 2016

Battle of al-Bab

LOADING MAP TELEMETRY…

Overview

The Battle of al-Bab was a battle for the city of al-Bab in the Aleppo Governorate that included a military offensive launched by Syrian rebel groups and the Turkish Armed Forces north of al-Bab, a separate Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) offensive east and west of the city, and another Syrian Army offensive from the south of the city. The northern Turkish-led forces intended to capture al-Bab from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as part of the Turkish military intervention in Syria. By the end of the battle, the Turkish-led forces had captured al-Bab, Qabasin, and Bizaah, while the Syrian Army captured Tadef and other areas further south, with the SDF making gains further to the east and the west.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of al-Bab was a multi-front urban engagement in the Aleppo Governorate fought to wrest the city from Islamic State control. Turkish-led forces advancing from the north, the Syrian Democratic Forces pressing from the east and west, and Syrian Army units moving from the south converged on the same operational objective, producing a fragmented but broadly effective encirclement. The outcome partitioned territorial gains among the competing parties: Turkish-led forces secured al-Bab itself along with Qabasin and Bizaah, the Syrian Army took Tadef and adjacent southern areas, and the SDF extended its positions to the east and west. The battle advanced Turkey's Operation Euphrates Shield by eliminating a significant Islamic State urban stronghold in Aleppo Governorate, while simultaneously hardening the de facto boundary between Turkish-backed and SDF-controlled zones — a fault line that shaped subsequent competition over northern Syria.

Tactics

The battle was fought across multiple axes converging on the urban center of al-Bab. Turkish Armed Forces and allied Syrian rebel groups led the offensive from the north, while the Syrian Democratic Forces operated independently along the eastern and western approaches. A separate Syrian Army offensive pressed in from the south. This multi-directional pressure left Islamic State defenders contested on all sides, though the distinct command structures of each attacking force meant the advances were parallel rather than coordinated. The urban terrain of al-Bab was the primary contested ground for the Turkish-led northern thrust, which ultimately secured the city itself.

Forces & casualties

Troop strength

  • Turkey1,300–4,000
    medium
  • Islamic State3,000–5,000
    medium
  • Syrian Democratic Forces10,000
    medium

Casualties

  • Islamic State1,348
    medium34% loss rate
Order of battle →Casualties in detail →

Commanders (4)

Syrian Democratic Forces

Turkey

Compare with sibling battle

6 options

Pick a battle to compare side-by-side

Related

6 sibling battles · 1 factions

Last verified May 2026
Cite this page →Suggest a correction →