Syria's War: The Conflict Explained

The Syrian Conflict

This section provides an overview of the Syrian conflict, its origins, and how it has evolved into a proxy war between major global powers.

Bashar al-Assad's Rise to Power

• Bashar al-Assad inherited power unchallenged after his father died in July 2000.

• Once he took office, he promised political and economic reform but increasingly turned Syria into an ever more draconian police state that cracked down on dissent.

• Assad suppressed the Damascus Spring, a short-lived period of social debate and political activism that followed the death of his father.

Protests and Civil War

• In March 2011, pro-democracy protests swept across Syria sparked by the arrest of young Syrians accused of painting anti-Assad graffiti.

• Assad blamed the protests on foreign conspirators whom he said wanted to disrupt the country's stability. He tried to address the unrest in April by releasing political prisoners and ending emergency rule but soon turned violent.

• Soldiers began detaining and firing on protesters killing thousands of people. The Syrian opposition began to group together and fight back as international leaders put pressure on Assad to step down.

Chemical Weapons Attacks

• Reports of chemical warfare began to emerge with regime forces dropping sarin gas on opposition-held territory in August 2013. Estimates suggested more than 1,000 people were killed.

• In September 2013, Russia and the US struck a deal to ensure Syria would destroy its chemical weapons. The UN announced the program's completion in June 2014 but later reported that regime chemical attacks had continued.

• Allegations of armed rebel groups carrying out chemical attacks have also surfaced with rights groups accusing both sides of committing war crimes.

Rise of ISIS

• Assad released known extremists from prison and looked the other way as those jihadis grew more influential. An al-Qaeda affiliate, the Nusra Front, formed at the beginning of 2012.

• Some of the Nusra Front joined with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Islamic State in Iraq to form the militant group known as ISIS. From January 2014, ISIS captured cities across Iraq and Syria and announced the establishment of what they called a caliphate.

The Syrian War: A Brief Overview

This section provides an overview of the Syrian war, including the rise of ISIS and its impact on Syria and neighboring countries.

The Rise of ISIS

• ISIS became known for carrying out beheadings and lashings against citizens living in the caliphate.

• The war has contributed to the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, with almost five million people fleeing Syria.

• Smugglers receive large sums of money in return for taking desperate Syrians to Europe's shores.

International Involvement

• Events in Syria soon dragged international powers into the conflict, with Obama authorizing airstrikes in Iraq to help the Yazidis.

• Later that month, a U.S-led coalition launched airstrikes in Syria after ISIS militants murdered American journalist James Foley.

• Russia entered the conflict in September 2015, giving Assad the upper hand. Moscow began conducting air raids against opponents of the regime.

The Fall of Aleppo

• The regime soon managed to recapture parts of Aleppo from rebels.

• Reports surfaced of regime soldiers carrying out on-the-spot executions of civilian men, women, and children inside the city.

• In December 2016, both sides agreed on an evacuation deal facilitated by Turkey and Russia, and the city fell back under government control.

Current Situation

• Donald Trump inherited a problem that had tormented his predecessor. He has described Assad as bad but has condemned Obama administration for backing rebels who he says could be ISIS.

• Whatever happens in Syria, the world will be watching.