The Battle of Raqqa was a battle for control of the northern Syrian city of Ar-Raqqah during the Syrian Civil War between rebel insurgents and the Syrian Army. Rebel forces launched the offensive in early March 2013, and declared themselves in "near-total control" on 5 March 2013, making it the first provincial capital claimed to come under rebel control in the civil war. The battle, on the opposition side, was primarily led by the Islamist jihadist group Al-Nusra Front.