Aleppo offensive (October 2013)

The October 2013 Aleppo offensive is a campaign during the Syrian civil war launched by the Syrian army in the Aleppo Governorate to reopen a key supply route linking central Syria to the second largest city, Aleppo. The offensive began when the Syrian Army attacked the strategic town of Khanasir.

Background
In June 2013, after their strategic capture of al-Qusayr, government forces launched an offensive called Northern Storm in Aleppo Province aimed at securing supply lines between disparate patches of control in the province. However, increased rebel pressure in Homs Province led the government to abandon the offensive and redeploy its troops there, leaving its supply lines to Aleppo city vulnerable to attack.

Later in the summer, rebels capitalised on this strategic weakness. In late July, rebels launched an offensive west of Aleppo city culminating in the capture of several suburbs and a massacre of captured government soldiers, and on 5 August, the long-besieged Menagh Airbase in the north of the province fell to rebels. On 26 August, rebels captured the strategic town of Khanasir, thus cutting the government's last land supply route to the contested city of Aleppo.

Rebels then turned their sights to the government-controlled southern countryside of Aleppo. On 20 September, a coalition of at least ten rebel groups led by Ahrar al-Sham and the Tawhid Brigade launched an offensive called wal-'Adiyat Dabha against government positions between the southern edge of the city and the defence factories outside of rebel-held Al-Safira. In the first six days of the offensive, rebels made significant advances, claiming to have captured at least 25 villages. In response, government forces from Aleppo International Airport redeployed south to counter the rebel offensive.

The offensive
To reopen supply lines to Aleppo city, the government launched a counteroffensive along the so-called "Desert Road" between Aleppo and al-Salamiyah, dispatching a large convoy from the latter backed with heavy air support. Khanasir, captured by rebels in August, was the first major objective of the army as it occupies a critical chokepoint on the road.

On 1 October, the shelling of Khanasir and fighting between the regular army and several rebel brigades in the vicinity of the town killed at least 20 rebel fighters. The village of Jub al-Ghaws, near of Khanassir was bombed by helicopters while, according to SOHR, rebel fighters hit a fighter airplane above Khanassir.

On 2 October, according to SOHR, the Syrian army progressed in Khanassir and taking control of parts of the city while a lot of rebel position were hit by the Syrian airforce in the province; al-Atareb, Khan al-A'sal, Kafrnaha and Minnegh military airport.

On 3 October, the Army took back control of Khanassir, with at least 25 rebel fighters and 18 pro-government militiamen being killed on 3 October alone. However, the military had not yet reopened the highway to Aleppo.

On 7 October, the Army managed to reopen the supply route between Aleppo and Khanassir, capturing many surrounding villages like Rasm Okeiresh, Rasm al-Sheikh, Rasm al-Helou, Rasm Bakrou, al-Wawiyeh, Rasm al-Safa, Barzanieh, Jalagheem, Zarraa, and Kafar Akkad, breaking the siege of Aleppo. According to a governorate source, convoys carrying flour, food supplies, and fuel, went to Aleppo.

On 9 October, rebels massacred government soldiers in a village that had only just been captured by the Army. Elsewhere in the governorate, the Army took the control of other villages; Al-Hamam, Al-Qurbatiy and retreating to Al-Qintein and Al-Bouz

On 10 October, heavy Army shelling and air-strikes of the rebel-held town al-Safira killed 16-18 civilians. One of the areas that was hit was the town's market. According to one rebel, if opposition forces loose control of al-Safira everything they had accomplished over the previous year in Aleppo would be lost in a matter of days.

On 11 October, after clashes, the Army captured the village of Abu Jurayn, in the south of al-Safira.

On 17 and 18 October, heavy Army shelling of the rebel-held Kurdish town of Tell Aran left 21 civilians dead. 11 others were also injured. The town had been captured from Kurdish militants by jihadist rebels earlier in July.

By 25 October, 76 people had been killed in the shelling of al-Safira since 8 October. More than 130,000 people fled the city.

On 30 October, the Syrian army entered al-Safira and took over several buildings in the southern part of the city and also advanced on the eastern side the next day. By the morning of 1 November, the Army captured the town.

On 2 November, the Army, supported by Hezbollah officers, captured the village of Aziziyeh on the northern outskirts Safira.