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Al-Shaddadah
View on WikipediaAl-Shaddadah or al-Shaddadi (Arabic: ٱلشَّدَّادَة \ ٱلشَّدَّادِي, romanized: aš-Šaddādah / aš-Šaddādī) is a town in southern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria. The town is the administrative center of the al-Shaddadah Subdistrict, which consists of 16 municipalities. At the 2004 census, al-Shaddadah had a population of 15,806.[1]
Key Information
Name and geography
[edit]The town's name might be derived from "Shadadu"; a governor of the district of "Suru" mentioned in the annals of the Assyrian king Assurnasirpal II.[2] The town is situated off the western bank of the Khabur River. Nearby localities include al-Sabaa wa Arbain to the west.
Syrian civil war
[edit]Early developments
[edit]In the course of the Syrian civil war, the town was attacked by jihadist rebel forces of the al-Nusra Front in the Battle of Shaddadi (2013) and was captured three days later.[3] According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), over 100 pro-Assad fighters and 40 al-Nusra fighters were killed, as well as dozens of petroleum workers, as a result of the battle.[4]
Capture and control by the Islamic State
[edit]The town was later attacked and captured by the Islamic State (ISIS) in July 2013. Al-Shaddadah remained one of the last ISIS strongholds in the province over the next years.[5]
The town gained notoriety for its use as a slave market where Yazidi girls captured in the Sinjar region in August 2014 were sold as sex slaves. The New York Times also reported an incident in al-Shaddadah in which a Saudi ISIS fighter raped a 12-year-old Yazidi girl.[6]
Capture and control by Kurdish-led forces
[edit]
On 11 October 2015, one day after the Kurdish-majority People’s Protection Units (YPG) and allied groups, including the al-Sanadid Forces of the Arab Shammar tribe, formed the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), al-Sanadid leader Bandar al-Humaydi made it an "immediate priority to liberate al-Hawl and al-Shaddadah from the Islamic State” for the newly formed coalition.[7]
On 24 November 2015, it became known that ISIS militants were transferring their family members further south to the Deir ez-Zor Governorate.[8] After the SDF captured the South Hasakah Dam on 30 November, they continued their offensive southward, towards the city of al-Shaddadah, now ISIS' last stronghold in al-Hasakah province.[9][10] Subsequently, Arab tribal leaders reportedly urged ISIS to withdraw from the city "peacefully," in order to prevent civilian casualties and the possible collapse of al-Shaddadi's economic infrastructure, if a destructive battle between the SDF/coalition forces and the Islamic State were to occur.[10] It was also reported that ISIS was beginning to evacuate some of its positions near al-Shaddadi.[10]
On 19 February 2016, the town was captured by the SDF and subsequently became part of the DAANES.[11][12] After SDF forces took control of the town, Yazidi spiritual leader Eidou Baba Sheikh stated, “The Yazidis are happy when they [SDF] liberated the town.”[6]
Following its capture, the U.S. Army established a military base southeast of the city.[citation needed] The base regularly receives cargo aircraft carrying logistical and military supplies and serves as a major hub for military coordination and anti-ISIS operations in cooperation with the SDF and local Asayish police force.[13][14][15]
The U.S. military base has been targeted with vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) and rocket attacks by ISIS[16] and various Iranian-backed militias, including the Islamic Resistance in Iraq,[17] notably during attacks on U.S. bases amid the Gaza conflict.[18]
Economy
[edit]The areas surrounding al-Shaddadah contain one of the large oil and gas fields in Hasakah Governorate.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "2004 Census Data for Nahiya al-Shaddadah" (in Arabic). Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Also available in English: UN OCHA. "2004 Census Data". Humanitarian Data Exchange. - ^ Albert Ten Eyck Olmstead (1918). The Calculated Frightfulness of Ashur Nasir Apal. p. 241.
- ^ "Syrian rebels say capture eastern town of al-Shaddadeh". Reuters. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ^ Rebels Seize Syria Town on Iraq Border, Shoot Down Two Warplanes in Idlib Naharnet, 14 February 2013
- ^ Dana, Jean-Yves (7 November 2016). "The offensive to free Raqqa has begun". La Croix International. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ a b c "Kurds celebrate capture of key IS stronghold in Syria". Middle East Eye. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ Roy Gutman (27 October 2015). "New allies in northern Syria don't seem to share U.S. goals". McClatchy DC. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "ISIS militants evacuate their families from major stronghold in Hasakah amid dramatic progress by Kurdish-Arab alliance". Ara News. 24 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-11-26. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- ^ Inside The War Against ISIS
- ^ a b c "As Kurdish-Arab alliance prepares to storm Shaddadi, tribal leaders ask ISIS to withdraw to avoid civilian casualties". Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2015-12-05.
- ^ "الشدادي محررة" (in Arabic). Hawar News Agency. 2016-02-19. Archived from the original on 2017-05-17. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "ANF | Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firatê". Archived from the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
- ^ "Carrying logistical equipment | Coalition's cargo plane lands in Al-Shaddadi base in southern Al-Hasakah". The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 2025-08-31. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "Ongoing military reinforcement | Coalition's cargo plane lands in Al-Shaddadi base in Al-Hasakah countryside". The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 2025-11-10. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "Security operation | "Al-Asayish" and "International Coalition" ki*ll member of IS*IS and arrest two others in Al-Hasakah". The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 2025-12-17. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "ISIS car bomb targets US troops in Syria one week after four Americans were killed in Manbij". Retrieved 2019-01-24.
- ^ "US base in Syria comes under drone attack". Anadolu Agency. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
- ^ "Targeting the al-Shaddadi base of the International Coalition in Syrian Kurdistan-ARK NEWS". ARK News. 13 January 2024. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
