Arima, Syria

Arima (Arabic: العريمة), also spelled Orayma or Arimah, is a town and seat of a subdistrict (nahiya) in Al-Bab District, located 20 kilometers (12 mi) northeast of the city of al-Bab and 65 kilometers (40 mi) northeast of Aleppo in northern Syria. In the 2004 census, it had a population of 2,839.[1] The town of Qabasin is also to the south-west, and closer than Al-Bab. Manbij city is to the north-east. In course of the Syrian Civil War, the town repeatedly changed hands. As of 2020, it was under dual control of the Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).[2][3]

Not to be confused with Areimeh.

Arima
العريمة
Town
Arima is located in Syria
Arima
Arima
Location of Arima in Syria
Coordinates: 36°28′26″N 37°43′09″E
Country Syria
GovernorateAleppo
Districtal-Bab
SubdistrictArima
Population
 (2004)[1]
2,839
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Syrian civil war
Arima is the administrative center of Nahiya Arima of the Al-Bab District.

During the Syrian civil war, the village came under the control of, first the rebels in 2012, and then ISIL in 2014. During its Manbij offensive in the summer of 2016, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces approached the village. In the morning of Monday 20 June 2016, ISIL fighters attacked the Syrian Democratic Forces that had besieged Manbij city, from the Arima village, the Manbij Military Council said.[4][5] The clashes continued until the afternoon and were repelled by SDF forces.[4] The Al-Shahba documentation centre said ISIL militants arrested 143, mostly Kurdish, civilians in the neighbourhood of the village on 20 June.[6][7] On 22 June Arima came back in the hands of ISIS, but was retaken by the SDF on 3 October.[8][9] According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as of November 2016 the town was under the control of Manbij Military Council.[10]

Buffer zone

Early 2017 saw military clashes in and around Arima between Syrian National Army and the Manbij Military Council (MMC). President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey had declared that Operation Euphrates Shield's target after al-Bab would be to rid Manbij of the mostly Kurdish People's Protection Units.[11][12]

On March 1, 2017, an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, established a buffer zone along the border between the MMC controlled Manbij area and the Turkish buffer zone. The deal brokered by Russia gave control of five villages including Arima to the Syrian government, and by March 4 the Syrian Army had entered the zone. By 13 March Russian troops had also entered the zone.[13][14][15] However, the local governing council remained aligned with the al-Bab Military Council, part of the AANES' SDF.[2] The Russian and U.S. American militaries also maintained bases near Arima.[2]

On 25 December 2018, Arima was again placed under Syrian Army control after a deal with the SDF. This was in response to renewed threats of a Turkish-led operation against the SDF in and around Manbij.[16][17] The SDF also continued to maintain a presence in the village through the al-Bab Military Council, Manbij Military Council, and Kurdish Front.[2][18] By 2019, the local population suffered from the area's tensions and blockades, as farmers were unable to access their fields in the Turkish-occupied areas. Occasional fighting between the Syrian National Army and the al-Bab Military Council also continued.[2] In March 2020, SOHR reported a rocket attack by the SNA against the Russian base and SDF-aligned factions in Arima.[3]

References
  1. "2004 Census Data for Nahiya Arima" (in Arabic). Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Also available in English: UN OCHA. "2004 Census Data". Humanitarian Data Exchange.
  2. van Wilgenburg, Wladimir (3 March 2019). "Syria's war divides communities in flash point town". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  3. "Turkish forces bombard Russian command headquarters in west Manbij countryside, forcing civilians to flee". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  4. "Second ISIL counterattack fails to break siege on Manbij, June 21, 2016". aranews.net. 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016.
  5. "Manbij Military Council: 142 gang members have been killed". ANFNews. 21 June 2016.
  6. "Isis arrests 700 civilians north syria mostly kurds, June 21, 2016". aranews.net. 21 June 2016. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
  7. "ISIS are starting to mass arrest and kill the Kurdish civilians in Northern Aleppo. This comes as the SDF approach these areas, June 20, 2016". mideast.liveuamap.com. 20 June 2016.
  8. "Liveuamap.com, June 22, 2016". mideast.liveuamap.com. 22 June 2016.
  9. Musa Keilani (8 October 2016). "Kurdish corridor". Jordan Times.
  10. "Violent clashes renewed in the countryside of Arima and "Euphrates Shield" forces advance at the expense of the "Islamic State"". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  11. "Turkish PM says operation in Manbij 'meaningless' without US, Russia coordination". Rudaw. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  12. van Wilgenburg, Wladimir (23 February 2017). "US coalition continues to assist SDF-led Manbij Military Council north Syria - ARA News". ARA News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017.
  13. "Atlantic Council analysis: How Russia beat Turkey in Syria". Tornos News. 29 March 2017.
  14. "Russian Troops Deploy Southwest of Manbij Following Syrian-Kurdish Negotiations". Yahoo News. 13 March 2017.
  15. van Wilgenburg, Wladimir (5 March 2017). "A Kurdish-Russian deal against Turkey!". ARA News. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017.
  16. "Breaking: Kurdish forces handover town near Manbij to Syrian Army". Al Masdar News. 25 December 2018. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  17. "Assad regime forces enter YPG-held village west of Syria's Manbij". Daily Sabah. 25 December 2018.
  18. ERSİN ÇAKSU (29 December 2018). "Intense traffic in Arima against occupation". ANF News.
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