Southern Damascus offensive (March 2018)

The Southern Damascus offensive (March 2018) started on 12 March 2018, when ISIL began attacking rebel positions in the al-Qadam neighborhood of southern Damascus as they were evacuating.[11] The rebel pocket in al-Qadam had been surrounded on one side by government forces and on the other by ISIL.[12] On 10 March, ISIL threatened to kill any rebels that evacuate from the area after the Syrian government gave the rebels 48 hours to surrender the district and evacuate.[13] Following news of the upcoming rebel evacuation from al-Qadam, ISIL forces attacked the rebels on 12 March and captured 25 percent of the neighborhood.[11] The next day, around 300 rebel fighters and their family members were evacuated from al-Qadam to rebel territory in Idlib province.[12] After the evacuation, government troops took control of 70 percent of the neighborhood, while the remaining 30 was under IS control.[14] During the fighting, government air-strikes were conducted against ISIL in Al-Hajar al-Aswad and al-Qadam.[15] While the clashes were taking place in Qadam, rebel groups attempted to break through ISIL lines in Yarmouk but were repelled.[16]

Southern Damascus offensive (March 2018)
Part of the Syrian Civil War and the inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian Civil War
Map of the battle
Date 12–20 March 2018 (1 week and 1 day) Location al-Qadam, Syria Status ISIL victory ISIL takes control of 90% of al-Qadam, SAA controls one neighborhood[1] Rebels abandon al-Qadam
Belligerents
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant	Syria Syrian Armed Forces Palestinian People's Party[2] Free Palestine Movement[3] Free Syrian Army (12 March only) Tahrir al-Sham (12 March only)
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Unknown Nidal Darwish [2]
Units involved
Dimashq Wilayah[4]	Syrian Army 141st Regiment[5] National Defence Forces Syrian Air Force
Strength
1,500–2,500[6]	Unknown
Casualties and losses
17 killed[7]	116 killed (per SOHR)[8] 175 killed (per ISIL)[9]
1 civilian killed[10]

On 14 March, ISIL launched an assault against Syrian Army positions in al-Qadam, managing to advance slightly. The attack was renewed the following day but without any advances[17] and by 16 March, the ISIL offensive had stalled.[18] During the fighting in al-Qadam, government forces suffered heavy losses with 40 soldiers being killed and at least one tank knocked out.[19]

Overnight on 19 March, ISIL forces launched a surprise attack on government positions in al-Qadam[20] and by the following day ISIL gained ground, pushing back the military.[21] According to the pro-opposition activist group the SOHR, ISIL took full control of al-Qadam, with 36 soldiers being killed and dozens of others wounded, captured or missing.[20] In contrast, military sources initially reported control of al-Qadam was divided[22] and that ISIL failed to capture the central and western neighborhoods of the district.[23] However, later they confirmed ISIL had taken control of 90 percent of the district following a chaotic Army withdrawal due to poor coordination between different military branches and that the Army was in control of one western neighborhood.[1] Five of the missing soldiers were eventually rescued after becoming trapped behind ISIL lines, while others were reported to be isolated in ISIL territory.[22] Still, later, it was stated no more living soldiers remained behind ISIL lines.[24] At this time, veteran units of the 4th Armoured Division were sent as reinforcements to al-Qadam[25] to try to retake the lost areas.[20] Later that day, following heavy artillery strikes against ISIL positions, a two-day ceasefire was announced.[26]

On 21 March, it was reported that the military's death toll from ISIL's attack had risen to 62, after 26 bodies of the previously missing were retrieved.[27] On the same day, ISIL executed a captured commander from the Palestinian People’s Party, Nidal Darwish, in the al-Qadam neighborhood.[2]