Hajin

Hajin
هجين
Hajin
Coordinates: 34°41′22″N 40°49′51″E / 34.68944°N 40.83083°E / 34.68944; 40.83083
Country  Syria
Governorate Deir ez-Zor Governorate
District Abu Kamal District
Nahiyah Hajin
Population (2004 census)[1]
 • Total 37,935
Time zone UTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST)

Hajin (Arabic: هجين‎, also spelled Hajeen) is a small city in eastern Syria, administratively part of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate, located along the Euphrates River, south of Deir ez-Zor. Nearby localities include al-Abbas to the west, al-Ramadi to the south and Gharanij to the north. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Hajin had a population of 37,935 in the 2004 census. It is the administrative center of a nahiyah ("subdistrict") of the Abu Kamal District. The Hajin subdistrict consists of four towns which had a collective population of 97,970 in 2004.[1]

Syrian Civil War

During the Syrian Civil War, the city was under the occupation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In late November 2017, Hajin became ISIL's de facto capital city, after ISIL had lost Raqqa, Mayadin, Al-Qa'im, and Abu Kamal.[2] On December 28, 2017 the Syrian Democratic Forces reached the city of Hajin and began a campaign to remove ISIL.[3][4] This action was a part of the SDF's Operation Cizire Storm.

In 2018, Iraqi intelligence and some experts believed that ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was hiding in Hajin, due to the concentration of ISIL forces and leadership in the city, even though there has not yet been any direct evidence that al-Baghdadi himself was present there.[2] In March 2018, the SDF paused the campaign against Hajin in order to defend Afrin from the invading Turkish Army, but the operation resumed by 24 April 2018.[5] On June 22, 2018, coalition forces led by the U.S. dropped leaflets on Hajin and in the Abu Khater area.[6] On July 13, 2018, the SDF launched an offensive to take Hajin.[7] One news report estimated that around 4,000 ISIL fighters were defending the city.[8] Though other reports put the number of ISIL fighters between 1,500 and 2,500[9] On August 22, 2018 the Islamic State attempted a counter attack to break the siege of Hajin but was repelled.[10] On September 11, 2018 the SDF advanced on Hajin with US-coalition support.[9]

Hajin is the administrative center of Nahiya Hajin of the Abu Kamal District

References

  1. 1 2 General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Deir az-Zawr Governorate. (in Arabic)
  2. 1 2 Francesco Bussoletti (29 June 2018). "Syria, the Isis pockets of resistance at Deir Ezzor are reduced to two". Difesa & Sicurezza. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "SDF fighters reach Hajin town in Deir ez-Zor countryside". ANF News. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "SDF Advances On ISIS Positions North Of Hajin Town". SouthFront. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Syria SDF return to Deir ez-Zor front with ISIS: coalition". Rudaw. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "7 civilians killed in U.S.-led airstrikes on IS-held town in eastern Syria". xinhua.net. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "SDF launch operation targeting ISIS in Deir ez-Zor's Hajin". Rudaw.
  8. ↑ "Syria conflict: After series of calamitous defeats, is Isis about to lose its last town?". The Independent.
  9. 1 2 Sly, Liz (September 11, 2018). "U.S.-backed forces launch what could be the last major battle against ISIS in Syria". Washington Post.
  10. ↑ "Syria, Isis tries in vain to counterattack the SDF and the SAA at Deir Ezzor". Difesa & Sicurezza. August 22, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.