Northeastern Syria, previously one of the most stable regions in the war-ravaged country, has become a battleground. On October 6, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of American troops from this part of Syria. This decision was highly criticized as it is believed to have opened the door for Turkey to launch attacks on America’s own ally, the Syrian Kurds. It is also to be noted that the withdraw of troops from the area came in the wake of a phone call between Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In March this year, the U.S. with the support of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia, succeeded in toppling the terror group Islamic State, ISIS, which controlled several parts of the Syria. The Kurdish forces say the U.S. abandoned after backing them for years in the fight against the Islamic State.
Now, in addition to fighting the Turkish army, the Syrian Kurds face the risk of a possible resurgence of the ISIS. Besides, reports have emerged that several ISIS militants held captive in Syria are escaping the prison.
Meanwhile, Russia-backed Syrian forces took advantage of the abrupt U.S. retreat to deploy its men in territory held by Kurdish forces.
What is the background?
Syria has been in the midst of a complex civil war since 2011. It all began with the Arab uprising. Towards the end of 2010, people of North Africa and the Middle East took to the streets against their governments. The upheaval began in Tunisia as an intensive civilian resistance, which eventually led to the ousting of the Tunisian dictator Ben Ali in January 2011. And people elected their new leader in democratic elections. This revolutionary wave – called ‘Arab Spring’ – spread to other countries such as Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
In Syria, when people were engaged in a peaceful protest in March 2011; demanding democracy and freedom, the government retaliated by killing five of the protesters. Angry protesters demanded the registration of President Bashar al-Assad.
The protesters gainers support from various opposition groups, but they could not succeed in ousting the government. It marked the beginning of years of war, which had crippled the country.
The ongoing war is now between those who support Assad, and a host of rebel groups, including the Free Syrian Army.
Meanwhile, the ISIS exploited the volatile situation taking over large areas of the country, and the groups involved in the Syrian civil war had to turn their attention to fighting the IS as well.
Who are all involved?
The Syrian war is not about a fight between two groups. It has been complicated by the involvement of several players. According to a U.S. estimate, as many as 1,000 different groups have been opposing the government ever since the conflict broke out. There have been many ceasefire attempts since 2012, including those backed by Russia and Turkey. However, due to the involvement of many groups, they were not successful.
In all, there are five key players – the Syrian Rebel Forces, the Kurdish Forces, the ISIS and the U.S. – led coalition.
- The Syrian Army is loyal to President Assad, Russia and Iran back the Syrian Army.
- The rebel Free Syrian Army is supported by the U.S., Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who supply weapons and provide training to the rebels to halt the Syrian Army. The rebel fighters also enjoy the support of political parties that disagree with Assad.
- The Kurdish forces made up of ethnic Kurds include the Syrian Democratic Forces and Arab militias. The Syrian Democratic Forces was officially founded in northern Syria in 2015 to defend the areas under their control amid Syria ‘s civil war and the rising Islamic State.
- The ISIS is a group with extreme views and has claimed responsibility for many terror attacks around the world. After capturing many parts in Iraq, the group started in Iraq, the group started taking control of areas in the conflict-ridden Syria in 2014.
- The United States and its allies — the armies of the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, Turkey, Canada, Australia and more — have been fighting against the Islamic State since 2014. The UK, France and other western countries have also provided varying levels of support to what they consider to be “moderate” rebels.
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