The prophesied “apocalyptic battle” for Dabiq did not come to fruition as Turkey-backed Syrian rebels rout ISIL from the village
The ISIL stronghold near the Turkish border in northern Syria has been recaptured after a short offensive which began on Saturday.
“The Daesh myth of their great battle in Dabiq is finished,” Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, one of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions involved in the clashes told Reuters
#USAF A-10 gun fire pave the way for #FSA forces fighting #IS near #Dabiq pic.twitter.com/wOQ3T56cJ3— Stork (@NorthernStork) October 16, 2016
Backed by Turkish tanks and warplanes, rebels were also able to take neighbouring Soran, with the jihadist group backtracking on its promise of doomsday, saying this was not the battle prophesied.
Dabiq is said in the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah, a companion of the prophet Muhammad, to be the site of some of the events of the Muslim Malahim – equivalent of the Christian apocalypse – and a great battle between Muslims and infidels.
He quoted the prophet as saying: “The Last Hour would not come until the Romans land at al-A’maq or in Dabiq. An army consisting of the best of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina.”
First video from #Soran after #FSA take control over the area (Dabiq soran ihtemlat tlalen Hawar Alnahr) in the north countryside of #Aleppo pic.twitter.com/5WarOGK5nU— Ahmad Alkhatib (@AhmadAlkhtiib) October 16, 2016
ISIL were said to have deployed 1,200 fighters to defend Dabiq, however Turkish military sources say that the jihadist group has mostly left the area.
