The Syrian conflict has been going on for almost 4 years. This war is one of the most bloody in the 21st century. The victims of the war in Syria are hundreds of thousands, more than two million people have become refugees. Dozens of countries were involved in the conflict.
Despite attempts by the international community to reconcile all warring parties, hostilities are still ongoing, and no consensus is expected in the near future.
Conflict Background
Syria on the world map takes 87th place on the scale of the territory. By the beginning of 2011, almost 20 million people lived in this country. Most of the population is Sunni. Also widely represented are Christians and Alawites, who are in power in the country. In the north and east of Syria, there are Kurds who profess Islam.
The Ba'ath party is in power, which used to dominate the territory of Iraq (until the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by American forces). The entire imperious elite is almost entirely composed of Alawites. The country has had a state of emergency for more than 50 years, which limited some civil liberties. In 2010, Syria was overwhelmed by a serious crisis. A lot of people lost their jobs, welfare worsened. Along with this , the Arab Spring was already raging in neighboring countries .
A few months before the start of the first clashes, the opposition held several protests. The demands on them were diverse, and the behavior of the protesters was relatively peaceful. But at this time, the United States of America and the European Union began actively sponsoring political forces in the country that were opposed to the Bashar al-Assad regime. Assad has ruled the country since 2000.
An important role in the beginning of the riots was played by various social networks. In January, the Syrian Facebook segment was literally awash with calls for anti-government protests on February 4. Oppositionists called this date "Day of Wrath." Assad supporters said that the administration of the social network deliberately blocks pro-government communities.
Start of escalation
At the end of winter, thousands of people took to the streets in many cities. They did not act as a united front, in their requirements there was no clear course. But things changed dramatically when protesters and law enforcement agencies clashed in fierce battles. A few days later, information began to come about the dead police officers. Such events forced Assad to conduct a partial mobilization of the armed forces and concentrate them near the areas of the opposition.
At the same time, the opposition is gaining the support of the West and the Gulf countries. The formation of the "Free Syrian Army" begins. Its backbone includes representatives of the political wing of the protesters, as well as deserters from the Syrian armed forces. The money received from the outside is armed with opposition fighting units.
In the spring of 2011, the first armed clashes began.
Islamization of the conflict
Sometime in April, radical Islamists joined the opposition . After some time, terrorist attacks occur. An unknown suicide bomber kills senior officials of the Syrian army. The country's army and security services are launching several operations against the opposition. The free Syrian army captures several large settlements. Assad units immediately block them. In uncontrolled areas, electricity and water are cut off. The first serious battles take place in Damascus. The Syrian government decides to abandon the use of the regular army and seeks the help of mobile special forces. They quickly eliminate the bones of the armed groups, after which there is a direct mopping-up operation. Such actions are bearing fruit - more and more territories are returning to government control.
At the same time, political reforms are underway. Bashar al-Assad dissolves the cabinet and calls the first election. Nevertheless, the Syrian conflict continues to intensify. Damascus is partly engaged in the opposition, which uses suicide bombers to fight the government.
Foreign intervention
At the end of 2011, the Syrian conflict is increasingly falling into the spotlight of Western media. Many countries are beginning to help the opposition. The EU and the United States impose sanctions against Syria, significantly reducing the country's income from oil sales. On the other hand, Arab monarchies impose a trade embargo. Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and other countries are beginning to sponsor and arm the Free Army. The economic situation is rapidly deteriorating, since a significant part of the income, in addition to foreign trade, came from the tourism sector.
One of the first countries to openly intervene in the Syrian conflict is Turkey. She provides military assistance and sends opposition advisers. The first bombardment of the positions of the Syrian government army also begins. The answer came immediately. Assad’s regime is deploying air defense systems on its territory that shoot down a Turkish fighter. Bashar himself says he is ready for dialogue with all parties, but does not understand why the war in Syria is so worrying for the United States and other countries.
Assad Assistance
By the winter of 2012, it was finally clear that the Syrian conflict is a full-fledged war. His old allies responded to the call of assistance from the Syrian government, and there are not so many left after the "Arab Spring". Iran has provided tremendous support to Assad. The Islamic Republic sent military advisers from the famous IRGC service to train militias. At first, the government abandoned this idea, fearing that uncontrolled paramilitarist groups would only increase the intensity in society.
But after the loss of significant territories in the north of the country, the weapons of the Shabiha begin (from Arabic - a ghost). These are special militia units that have sworn allegiance to Assad.
Hezbollah fighters are also arriving from Iran and other countries. This organization is considered terrorist in some states of Europe and in the USA. Representatives of the "Party of Allah" (literal translation of "Hezbollah") are Shiite Islamists. They take part in all major battles, as they have extensive experience in warfare. Armed conflict aroused civic patriotism in many residents of western Syria. They began to actively join pro-Assad paramilitary groups. Some units are communist.
The chronicle of the civil war in Syria clearly demonstrates that the greatest escalation occurred after the start of foreign intervention. In 2013, the territory of Sham (the traditional name of Syria) was divided into several parts. Active hostilities spread fear and hatred among the population, which led to the creation of many different groups, many of which are fighting on one side, then on the other.
ISIS
In 2014, the world learned about the terrorist organization "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant." This group appeared more than 10 years ago, after the invasion of US troops in Iraq. At first it was a branch of al-Qaeda and did not have a major influence.
As soon as the armed conflict in Syria began to gain momentum, ISIS captured some territories of Iraq and Sham. Sources of funding are called Arabian magnates. The serious side in the ISIS war was after the capture of Mosul.
To do this, they needed only a few thousand fighters. About 800 people infiltrated the territory of the city and rebelled at the same time as an offensive from the outside. Further, in the summer of 2014, ISIS captured many settlements in the district of Mosul and proclaimed the creation of the caliphate. Thanks to the powerful propaganda work, ISIS is recruiting supporters from around the world. According to various estimates, the number of militants can reach 200 thousand people. After the capture of almost a third of Syria, the radicals began to call themselves simply "Islamic State", setting as their goal the formation of a world caliphate.
In the battles of the IG actively use the so-called martyrs - suicide bombers.
The standard scheme of attack on enemy bases begins precisely with terrorist attacks. After that, the Islamists begin the offensive with the help of light armored vehicles and SUVs. The IS also actively uses guerrilla warfare, attacking the military and civilians in the rear. For example, on the territory of Iraq there are "rafidite hunters." The militants dress up in the uniform of the Iraqi military and raid members of the administration and other opponents. Victims learn that they fell into the hands of the Islamists, only after their capture.
Although IS is operating in many countries, analysts agree that the creation of such a group gave rise to the Syrian conflict. The reasons are called different. The most common version is the desire of Persian monarchs to spread their influence in the Middle East.
International terrorism
The Islamic State is guilty of many terrorist attacks in various countries of the world. More than 80 victims died after the attack on a hotel in Tunisia. In autumn 2015, France became the target of the militants. The attack on the editors of the magazine "Charlie Edbo", which published a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, became the top topic of all the world media. The French government has assured that after the attacks will take unprecedented security measures. But despite this, in November Paris was again attacked. Several groups staged explosions and random shooting on the city streets. As a result, 130 people died, more than 300 were seriously injured.
On October 31, a Russian plane crashed on the Sinai Peninsula. As a result, 224 people died. A few hours after the world media reported the tragedy, the Islamic State group took responsibility for what happened.
The role of Kurdistan
Kurds are the 30 millionth people in the Middle East. They belong to the descendants of the Iranian-speaking tribes. Most Kurds are moderate Muslims. Many Kurdish communities live like secular societies. Also a large percentage of Christians and representatives of other religions. Kurds do not have their own independent state, but the territory of their settlement is traditionally called Kurdistan. Syria on the map of Kurdistan occupies a significant part.
Kurds are often called a third party in the Syrian civil war. The fact is that these people have been fighting for their independence for many years. With the onset of the crisis in 2011, part of the Kurds supported anti-government protests. With the advent of IS, Kurdish territory was in danger of seizure. Islamic radicals brutally cracked down on the local population, which prompted him to actively join the Peshmerga series.
These are voluntary self-defense formations.
They enjoy considerable support from the rest of Kurdistan. The labor party, which operates in Turkey, regularly sends volunteers and material assistance. Turks are actively fighting this organization, since it threatens the territorial integrity of the country. The Kurdish minority makes up about 20% of the total population of Turkey. And among it, separatist sentiments prevail. At the same time, most of the Kurdish formations profess leftist or even radical communist views, which does not fit into the nationalistic internal course of President Erdogan. Left-wing volunteers from the countries of the European Union (mainly Germany and Spain) and Russia regularly arrive in the ranks of Peshmerga.
These people are not shy about giving interviews to the Western press. Journalists most often ask why the war in Syria forced young people to leave their countries. To which the fighters respond with loud slogans and speculations about the "world-wide struggle of the working class."
US Role: Syria, War
Such a major conflict could not but come into the view of the United States of America. The contingent of NATO troops has been in Iraq for a long time. From the very beginning of the crisis, the States have provided tremendous support to the Syrian opposition. Also one of the first to impose sanctions against the Assad government. In 2013, the Americans talked about the possibility of a direct invasion using a land group, but then they abandoned this idea under pressure from Russia.
In 2014, the United States, as part of the anti-terrorist coalition, launched a bombing of Islamic state positions. Near Syria is one of the main allies of the Americans in the East - Turkey. The Kurdish militia has repeatedly blamed the coalition for attacks on its positions under the guise of shelling of the Islamic State.
Syrian conflict: the role of Russia
Russia has also been involved in the civil war from the very beginning. The Russian Federation in Syria has a single military base. And friendly relations have been established with the Assad government, which have stretched since the days of the USSR. Russia, together with the DPRK, Iran and Venisuela, is providing military support to government forces. All this is done to maintain peace in the region. In 2014, Russia began active operations in Sham. For several weeks, the military presence was significantly increased.
Conclusion
The essence of the Syrian conflict is an attempt by foreign states to maintain or improve their positions in the Middle East. The Islamic state quite often becomes just a pretext for the introduction of troops into Syria. And the true reason is the enemies of friendly regimes in the region. At the moment, in the civil war, 3 serious forces can be distinguished that cannot win and are not going to lose. Therefore, the conflict will continue for quite some time.