By most measures, Dabiq isn’t a significant place. Wedged between Aleppo and Syria’s northern border with Turkey, it has a population of just how many? thousand and few distinguishing features.
But in recent years, this quiet town has come to occupy a central role in the bloody and ever-changing battles of the Middle East. According to Islamic prophecy, Dabiq or Al Amaq will be the site of an apocalyptic battle between Muslims and Romans – the latter of whom will be vanquished there before Islamic forces advance to Constantinople in a violent herald to the end of days.
The prediction was uttered by the Prophet Mohammed according to a Hadith by his companion Abu Hurayrah.
It’s an idea that Daesh (ISIS) is enamoured with – so much so that they even named their magazine after it. The group anticipates that its soldiers will clash with “crusader” forces in the town and has repeatedly called on Western armies to meet them there – even announcing in videos that “we are waiting for you at Dabiq”.
But Daesh’s apocalyptic vision is experiencing a hiccup. On Sunday, Dabiq was recaptured by rebel Syrian forces from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by Turkey. And so far, no signs of the four horsemen have been reported.
Pictures of Turkey-backed fighters apparently celebrating #Dabiq win with sandwiches in the sun: https://t.co/4bZFQOzzg8
— Maya Gebeily (@GebeilyM) 16 October 2016
Reports from the battle were emerging at the time of writing, but initial reports say the Daesh forces withdrew after intense fighting in the area.
#Breaking || #EuphratesShield#FSA forces take control of strategic town of #Dabiq from #Daesh in north #Aleppo province after intense ops pic.twitter.com/NTtgnF7ikK
— FSA News (@FSAPlatform) 16 October 2016
For Daesh, the swift recapture of the town could be an embarrassment. But the promised caliphate’s publicity machine was well prepared for criticism that it had over-promised on end-of-the-world battles. In the latest issue of al-Naba magazine, it told readers that the 2016 battle of Dabiq was not the prophesied battle of Dabiq it had been chatting about for years, but a lesser battle – a precursor, perhaps, to the actual final showdown.
Islamic State assures readers in al-Naba' that current struggle for Dabiq is not prophesied "greater battle of Dabiq." That will come later pic.twitter.com/eR0GCXzkTV
— Cole Bunzel (@colebunzel) 14 October 2016
With the end-of-days prophecy on hold, Daesh fighters are now facing more serious challenges – most notably the battle to retake Mosul, which looks set to take place imminently.
BS
