Battle of Douma

The Battle of Douma was a military engagement during the Syrian Civil War. The battle began on 21 January 2012, after Free Syrian Army fighters changed their tactics from attack and retreat guerrilla warfare in the suburbs of Damascus to all-out assault on army units. Earlier in January, the FSA had taken the town of Zabadani, and consequently gained control over large portions of Douma. After a general offensive in the suburbs, Douma was retaken by the Syrian army at the same time as the other rebelling suburbs.

In the fall of 2012, the FSA mounted an offensive and took back Douma by late October.

Background

Battle

Opposition controls Douma

According to activists in touch with Reuters, the Free Syrian Army erected barriers of sandbags in the streets of Douma and took effective control of the city on 21 January. According to both activists on the ground and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) by the end of the day the whole city had fallen under the control of the rebel army and was effectively cut off from the rest of the world. However, the Local Coordination Committees dismissed claims of the FSA having firm control of the city as there were reports by activists that security forces withdrew but may return.