Battle of Raqqa (2013)

Raqqa was not initially a rebel stronghold. The city itself saw several small protests at the beginning of the uprising, but these soon subsided. The anti-Assad elements within the city also remained peaceful until the end of 2012. Furthermore, previous pro-government tribal coalitions and the presence of more than a half-million displaced Syrians, mostly from Idlib, Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo, served to strengthen the Syrian government's opinion that Raqqa was relatively safe. Armed opposition groups began to spread through eastern Syria, leading to violence being perpetrated by both government and opposition forces. Dozens of people were killed in the Qahtaniya region outside the city in incidents. Shelling also reached a petrol station in the town of Tell Abyad. == Battle ==

Rebel forces, mostly Sunni Islamist groups, based in the countryside surrounding Raqqa launched a surge into the city between 3 and 5 March, advancing from the north and overrunning army positions at the city's northernmost entrance. Most rebels who took part in the battle came from areas outside the Raqqa Governorate. Rebels also stormed the residence of the provincial governor Hassan Jalali, reportedly capturing him along with the head of the Raqqa Governorate branch of the Baath Party, Suleiman al-Suleiman. On 5 March, footage emerged of both Hasan Jalali and Suleiman al-Suleiman surrounded by jubilant rebel fighters. Ahrar al-Sham (part of the Syrian Islamic Front), al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front, and the Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman Brigade were the main rebel groups involved in the battle. Several groups affiliated with the Free Syrian Army were also involved. Raqqa's police chief was also killed. Some residents pleaded with rebels not to enter the city, fearing it would bring retribution from government forces. The Syrian Air Force conducted 25 air-strikes against the city in an attempt to dislodge the opposition forces. In total, 39 people were killed, including 17 in a strike on a square. At least 10 of those killed were confirmed as rebel fighters. == Aftermath ==

Following the rebel capture of Raqqa, the Syrian Army sent army reinforcements from Tabqa military airport, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported rebels had intercepted them. Some of the captured government troops were publicly executed by the Islamist factions after the takeover, with their bodies put on display or dragged through the city streets. On 10 March, further air strikes on the city left another 14 people dead. On 4 April 2013, it was reported that rebels of the Free Syrian Army and allied Islamist groups besieging the 17th Division base outside Raqqa city were in control of three quarters of the base with the Syrian Army holding the command centre. A Syrian Arab Army source at the base reported that 80 soldiers had been killed and 250 injured in the fighting, and that many injured troops had died of gangrene. On 19 May, Syria's Raqqa opposition chief, Abdallah al-Khalil, was kidnapped, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Khalil was reportedly stopped by five armed gunmen wearing black masks in a black Kia Rio while in his car in eastern Raqqa. The gunmen accused him of being an Alawite and collaborating with the Syrian government before kidnapping him. Although no group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, it is believed that ISIL planned and executed the operation. In 2017, notes from ISIL militants tracking Khalil in 2013 were obtained, pointing to ISIL as the likely culprit behind his kidnapping. Khalil's kidnapping was considered a crucial event for Raqqa's fate, as he was seen as the only respected intermediary by all Syrian opposition parties in the city at the time. Immediately after the kidnapping, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights released the statement: "The Observatory condemns in the strongest terms the abduction of opposition lawyer Abdallah al-Khalil, and demands his immediate release." As of 28 May, air raids and artillery strikes continued against rebel lines on the outskirts of the city, but government forces were still unable to break through the lines. In mid-August, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) announced that they would stop participating in the siege of the 17th Division, one of the two last remaining loyalist bases in Raqqa. They wanted to focus on civil administration instead, in building an Islamic state, and so they would withdraw fighters from the most urgent battlefields. By early November 2013, ISIL was in partial control of the town. By January 6, 2014, rebels had ousted ISIL from the city as part of the Syrian opposition–Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant conflict. On 9 January 2014, fighting raged between the jihadists and opposition on Thursday, the Great Britain-based Observatory claimed. "The opposition forces have taken control of the strategic political intelligence building, which had been under ISIL control and is just 400 meters from the jihadists' headquarters," Abdel Rahman said. "But ISIL still controls the bridges leading into the city, so people have to take boats to get in." By 12 January, ISIL fighters had recaptured much of the key points in the city. By 14 January, ISIL had ousted the rebels from Raqqa and secured complete control of the city. On 25 July 2014, ISIL took control of the 17th Division headquarters away from the Syrian Army. On 28 August 2014 after a 36-day general offensive, the Tabqa airbase was captured by ISIL with significant losses on both sides. == See also ==