First week On 18 and 19 October, in response to
Syrian National Army forces moving south following their
capture of the town of Dabiq from ISIL and reaching the northern shore of the Shahba
Reservoir, the
Syrian Democratic Forces advanced to the southeast and captured several villages on the southern shore of the reservoir, including the
dam. In response to the advance, rebel and Turkish artillery in the countryside of
Azaz shelled positions of the
Army of Revolutionaries in
Herbel and other villages under the control of the SDF. Meanwhile, the
Turkish Air Force also conducted 26 airstrikes on SDF positions in the area. On 20 October, the rebels seized the Hasiyah farms (which the SDF had taken from ISIL), although the SDF still controlled the village of Hasiyah. Meanwhile, ISIL recaptured a hill from the SDF. The next day, fighting raged around three villages as the rebels attempted to advance against the SDF, while the Turkey-backed forces managed to capture one other. Concurrently, the SDF withdrew from six villages previously held by ISIL to avoid being cut off by the Turkish-backed rebels. Later that evening, the rebels withdrew after 10 hours of fighting, being unable to advance, while the SDF managed to recapture the village and farms they lost. The SDF started preparations for a second rebel attack expected the next day. On 22 October, a new rebel assault, backed-up by Turkish tanks, was repelled, with one Turkish tank reportedly being hit by the SDF. Fighting was concentrated near Tell Rifaat, while Turkish tanks were positioned at both Tell Rifaat and
Mare'. The next day, the SDF seized a farm in a counter-attack in the area of the Shahba dam, where they captured a rebel
BMP-1 armored vehicle. A drone was also shot down by the SDF. On 23 October, Turkish artillery continued shelling
Sheikh Issa and Herbel, and
Jandairis to the west away from the front was also extensively shelled. The next day, there were reports that the Levant Front ceased their attacks on the SDF and had retreated east. In contrast, the Hamza Division declared their continued determination to fight the pro-YPG forces and that the offensive against the SDF would soon resume.
Second week On 25 October, the Turkish-backed rebels launched a new attack on the SDF, but the latter managed to repel the assault and retake three villages they had temporarily lost. Heavy fighting continued at Tal al-Madiq, where the SDF destroyed four rebel vehicles. Pro-rebel media accused the SDF of being helped by the
Syrian Arab Air Force and
Russian Air Force, while pro-Kurdish media claimed that the rebels had used chemical weapons during their offensive. By the next day, the SDF reportedly captured two villages from rebel forces in a counter-attack. On 27 October, the rebels captured a number of villages from ISIL, encountering little resistance, while the SDF advanced north of Tal al-Madiq and near the Turkish border against the
Levant Front and Turkish-backed FSA units. Between 28 and 30 October, the SDF and the
Syrian Army began to openly cooperate against ISIL, with both sides supporting each other during their advances. On 31 October, the SDF seized three villages and the Hassin farms from the Levant Front and FSA units.
Third week On 1 November, ISIL recaptured 17 villages, including
Akhtarin, from the rebels. The next day, the rebels recaptured most of Akhtarin, however ISIL forces still controlled minor parts of the town amid attempts by the rebels to drive them out. ==Aftermath==