Mare'

{{hatnote|Not to be confused with Maré, an island in the French Territory of New Caledonia}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Mare'

| native_name = مارع

| native_name_lang = ar

| type = Town

| pushpin_map = Syria

| pushpin_label_position = bottom

| pushpin_mapsize = 250

| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Mare' in Syria

| coordinates = {{coord|region:SY-HL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| 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 = Azaz

| subdivision_type3 = Subdistrict

| subdivision_name3 = Mare'

| parts_type = Control

| parts_style = para

| p1 = {{TUR}}
{{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} Syrian Interim Government

| elevation_m = 420

| population = 16904

| population_density_km2 = auto

| population_as_of = 2004

| population_footnotes = {{#tag:ref|{{cite web |title=2004 Census Data for Nahiya Mare'|url=http://www.cbssyr.sy/new%20web%20site/General_census/census_2004/NH/TAB02-25-2004.htm |publisher=Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics |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

| geocode = C1643

| website =

}}

Mare' ({{langx|ar|مارع}} Māriʿ, locally pronounced Mēreʿ), also spelled Marea, is a town in northern Aleppo Governorate, northwestern Syria. It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Mare' nahiyah in the Azaz District. Located some 25 kilometers north of the city of Aleppo, the town has a population of 16,904 as per the 2004 census. Nearby localities include Shaykh Issa and Tell Rifaat to the west, A'zaz to the northwest, Dabiq to the northeast, al-Bab to the southeast, and Maarat Umm Hawsh and Herbel to the south.

File:Mare' nahiyah.svg of the Azaz District.]]

Syrian Civil War

Mare' was affected by the ongoing Syrian uprising against the government of Bashar al-Assad. The Ibn Walid brigade of the opposition Free Syrian Army was formed in the town in August 2012.[http://www.france24.com/en/20120823-aleppo-battle-rages-new-brigade-joins-fight As Aleppo battle rages, a new brigade joins the fight]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Agence France Press. 23 August 2012.

The Mare' Operations Room was, as well, based around the town.

In January 2015, Mare' was controlled by the Islamic Front.{{cite web |url=http://www.aymennjawad.org/15865/special-report-northern-storm-and-the-situation|title=Special Report: Northern Storm and the Situation in Azaz (Syria)|publisher=MERIA Journal|date=7 January 2015 |access-date=8 January 2015}} However, the capture of the nearby town of Dabiq in early 2015{{cite web|author=Graeme Wood |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/03/what-isis-really-wants/384980// |title=What ISIS Really Wants |publisher=The Atlantic |access-date=4 February 2025}} by the Islamic State threatened the town of Mare'. One of the largest rebel-controlled towns close to the front-line of Islamic State territory, Mare' produced a salient that ISIS attempted to reduce in a number of minor offensives against the town which continued until May 2016.

During the Northern Aleppo offensive in February 2016, Russian airstrikes preceded an assault by Kurdish YPG militias, forcing the overwhelming majority of the population to escape towards other rebel-controlled territories or across the border into Turkey. The Turkish government declared Mare' to be part of a red line which Kurdish forces must not cross. The YPG advance put Mare' on the frontlines with SDF forces to the west, Syrian Army forces to the south, and Islamic State forces to the east.{{cite news|url=https://time.com/4229812/syrian-refugees-turkey-border/|title=The Syrian Refugees Trapped Between an Angry Turkey and a Vengeful Assad|publisher=Time magazine|date=18 February 2016|access-date=4 February 2025}} In August 2016, Mare' was reportedly controlled by the FSA.{{cite web|author=Chris Tomson |url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/rebels-advance-rapidly-amid-full-scale-isis-retreat-northern-aleppo-map-update/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608165408/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/rebels-advance-rapidly-amid-full-scale-isis-retreat-northern-aleppo-map-update/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 June 2016 |title=Rebels advance rapidly amid full scale ISIS retreat in northern Aleppo - Map update |publisher=Al-Masdar News |access-date=2 March 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://qasioun.net/en/news/show/28405/Opposition_break_the_siege_by_ISIS_on_Mare%E2%80%99a |title=Qasion News Agency | Opposition break the siege by ISIS on Mare’a |publisher=Qasioun.net |access-date=2 March 2017}}{{cite web|title=Factions carried out an attack near the opposite Mare` city and regain control of the town and the village and close to break the siege of the city|url=http://www.syriahr.com/2016/06/08/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B0-%D9%87%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A9/|website=SOHR|language=ar}}{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-northwest-idUSKCN0YU0PT |title=Islamic State withdraws from northwest Syria frontlines |publisher=Reuters |date=8 June 2016 |access-date=4 February 2025}} Following Turkey's launch of Operation Euphrates Shield, the 2016 Dabiq offensive in September 2016 pushed the ISIS front-line back, removing the imminent threat posed to the town.

References

Category:Populated places in Azaz District