Battle of Markada

The Battle of Markada is a battle between two rebel groups, the Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), over the town of Markada in Al-Hasakah Governorate, during the Syrian civil war. The strategic importance of the town to the ISIS lay in its position on the group's weapons supply route from Iraq, the road linking Al-Hasakah with Deir ez-Zor and a hill that dominates the surrounding area.

The battle
The battle started on 21 March 2014, with fighting near Markada's grain silos that left 27 Nusra fighters dead and others missing.

On the morning of 27 March, the ISIS attacked the town, which was being held by the Al-Nusra Front. The ISIS managed to force Nusra to withdraw to the town's hospital and the mountain overlooking Markada.

Before dawn on 29 March, clashes erupted in the town as the ISIS attacked the hospital and Nusra positions in the mountain. After heavy fighting that left 43 Nusra and 13 ISIS fighters dead, the ISIS took fool control of the town, with Nusra forces retreating towards the town of al-Sour in the eastern rural area of Deir ez-Zor province. Many Nusra fighters were also captured. Among those killed was also the top provincial ISIS commander, Omar al-Farouk al-Turki.

On 31 March, Nusra launched a counter-attack in an attempt to recapture the town. By this time, the number of those killed since the start of the fighting had risen to 120.