Arima, Syria#Buffer zone
{{about|the Syrian town near Aleppo|the Syrian fortress and village near Tartus|Areimeh}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Arima
| native_name = العريمة
| native_name_lang = ar
| type = Town
| pushpin_map = Syria
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_mapsize = 250
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Arima in Syria
| coordinates = {{coord|format=dms|display=inline}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg}} Syria
| subdivision_type1 = Governorate
| subdivision_name1 = Aleppo
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = al-Bab
| subdivision_type3 = Subdistrict
| subdivision_name3 = Arima
| elevation_m =
| population = 2839
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_as_of = 2004
| population_footnotes = {{#tag:ref|{{cite web |title=2004 Census Data for Nahiya Arima|url=http://www.cbssyr.sy/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-28-2004.htm |publisher=Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304131837/http://www.cbssyr.sy/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-28-2004.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |language=ar }} Also available in English: {{cite web |author=UN OCHA |author-link=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |title=2004 Census Data |url=https://data.humdata.org/dataset/syrian-arab-republic-other-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 |publisher=Humanitarian Data Exchange }}|name=census2004}}
| timezone = EET
| utc_offset = +2
| timezone_DST = EEST
| utc_offset_DST = +3
| website =
}}
Arima ({{langx|ar|العريمة}}), also spelled Orayma or Arimah, is a town and seat of a subdistrict (nahiya) in Al-Bab District, located {{convert|20|km|sp=us}} northeast of the city of al-Bab and {{convert|65|km|sp=us}} northeast of Aleppo in northern Syria. In the 2004 census, it had a population of 2,839. 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).{{cite web|last1=van Wilgenburg|first1=Wladimir|title=Syria's war divides communities in flash point town|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/19029-Syria%27s-war-divides-communities-in-flash-point-town|work=Kurdistan24|date=3 March 2019|accessdate=17 February 2021}}{{cite web|title=Turkish forces bombard Russian command headquarters in west Manbij countryside, forcing civilians to flee |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/156108/|work=Syrian Observatory For Human Rights|date=1 March 2020|accessdate=17 February 2021}}
Syrian civil war
File:Arima nahiyah.svg 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.{{cite news |title=Second ISIL counterattack fails to break siege on Manbij, June 21, 2016|work=aranews.net |date=21 June 2016 |url=http://aranews.net/2016/06/second-isis-counterattack-fails-break-siege-manbij/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622140528/http://aranews.net/2016/06/second-isis-counterattack-fails-break-siege-manbij/|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 June 2016}}{{cite news |title=Manbij Military Council: 142 gang members have been killed |work=ANFNews |date=21 June 2016|url=https://anfenglish.com/kurdistan/manbij-military-council-142-gang-members-have-been-killed}} The clashes continued until the afternoon and were repelled by SDF forces. The Al-Shahba documentation centre said ISIL militants arrested 143, mostly Kurdish, civilians in the neighbourhood of the village on 20 June.{{cite news |title=Isis arrests 700 civilians north syria mostly kurds, June 21, 2016|work=aranews.net |date=21 June 2016 |url=http://aranews.net/2016/06/isis-arrests-700-civilians-north-syria-mostly-kurds|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624055010/http://aranews.net/2016/06/isis-arrests-700-civilians-north-syria-mostly-kurds/|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 June 2016}}{{cite news|title=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|work=mideast.liveuamap.com|date=20 June 2016|url=http://mideast.liveuamap.com/en/2016/20-june-isis-are-starting-to-mass-arrest-and-kill-the-kurdishs}}{{Dead link|date=October 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} On 22 June Arima came back in the hands of ISIS, but was retaken by the SDF on 3 October.{{cite news |title=Liveuamap.com, June 22, 2016|work=mideast.liveuamap.com |date=22 June 2016 |url=http://mideast.liveuamap.com/en/time/22.06.2016}}{{cite web|last1=Musa Keilani|title=Kurdish corridor|url=http://jordantimes.com/opinion/musa-keilani/kurdish-corridor|publisher=Jordan Times|date=8 October 2016}} According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as of November 2016 the town was under the control of Manbij Military Council.{{cite web|title=Violent clashes renewed in the countryside of Arima and "Euphrates Shield" forces advance at the expense of the "Islamic State"|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=55560|publisher=Syrian Observatory For Human Rights|accessdate=3 December 2016|date=25 November 2016}}
= Buffer zone =
Early 2017 saw military clashes in and around Arima between Syrian National Army (SNA) 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.{{cite web|title=Turkish PM says operation in Manbij 'meaningless' without US, Russia coordination|url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/07032017|website=Rudaw|access-date=18 June 2017|date=7 March 2017}}{{cite web|last1=van Wilgenburg|first1=Wladimir|title=US coalition continues to assist SDF-led Manbij Military Council north Syria - ARA News|url=http://aranews.net/2017/02/us-coalition-continues-to-assist-sdf-led-manbij-military-council-north-syria/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225130211/http://aranews.net/2017/02/us-coalition-continues-to-assist-sdf-led-manbij-military-council-north-syria/|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 February 2017|website=ARA News|date=23 February 2017}}
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.{{cite web|title=Atlantic Council analysis: How Russia beat Turkey in Syria|url=http://www.tornosnews.gr/en/world-news/24296-atlantic-council-analysis-how-russia-beat-turkey-in-syria.html|website=Tornos News|date=29 March 2017}}{{cite news|title=Russian Troops Deploy Southwest of Manbij Following Syrian-Kurdish Negotiations|url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/russian-troops-deploy-southwest-manbij-225627176.html|agency=Yahoo News|date=13 March 2017}}{{cite news|last1=van Wilgenburg|first1=Wladimir|title=A Kurdish-Russian deal against Turkey!|url=http://aranews.net/2017/03/russian-general-confirms-a-kurdish-russian-deal-against-turkey/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305013410/http://aranews.net/2017/03/russian-general-confirms-a-kurdish-russian-deal-against-turkey/|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 March 2017|work=ARA News|date=5 March 2017}} However, the local governing council remained aligned with the al-Bab Military Council, part of the AANES' SDF. The Russian and U.S. American militaries also maintained bases near Arima.
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.{{cite news|title=Breaking: Kurdish forces handover town near Manbij to Syrian Army|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-kurdish-forces-handover-town-near-manbij-to-syrian-army/|work=Al Masdar News|date=25 December 2018|access-date=25 December 2018|archive-date=24 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624161631/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-kurdish-forces-handover-town-near-manbij-to-syrian-army/|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|title=Assad regime forces enter YPG-held village west of Syria's Manbij|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/syrian-crisis/2018/12/25/assad-regime-forces-enter-ypg-held-village-west-of-syrias-manbij|work=Daily Sabah|date=25 December 2018}} The SDF also continued to maintain a presence in the village through the al-Bab Military Council, Manbij Military Council, and Kurdish Front.{{cite news|title=Intense traffic in Arima against occupation |url=https://anfenglishmobile.com/features/intense-traffic-in-arima-against-occupation-31765 |author=ERSİN ÇAKSU|work=ANF News|date=29 December 2018}} 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. In March 2020, SOHR reported a rocket attack by the SNA against the Russian base and SDF-aligned factions in Arima. In 2024, the town was targeted as part of a Turkish-backed SNA offensive.{{cite web|title=Fierce clashes erupt as Turkish-backed SNA factions attack Syria’s Manbij |url=https://npasyria.com/en/119396/|work=North Press Agency |date=8 December 2024 |accessdate=28 December 2024 }}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Cities of Syria}}
{{Aleppo Governorate|Al-Bab}}
Category:Populated places in al-Bab District
Category:Towns in Aleppo Governorate
{{Syria-geo-stub}}