Where is Dabiq and why is it so special?
Media reports suggest that Syrian Government forces are close to retaking the ISIS-occupied town of Dabiq in north-west Syria close to the Turkish border, but ISIS is putting up a strong resistance. Before the war, this was a small town which had a population of only just over 3,000, so what makes it so special?
This is a location with a special place in history. The town was the site of the battle of Marj Dabiq in 1516, in which the Ottoman Empire decisively defeated the Mamluk Sultanate.
It is also a place that Islamic fundamentalists believe will have a special place in the future. It is one of two possible locations for an epic battle between invading Christians and the defending Muslims which will result in a Muslim victory and mark the beginning of the end of the world.
So Dabiq is special and indeed ISIS has named its English-language magazine after the town.