The Ifs and Buts of Syria War Between America and Russia

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Syria is in flames, while the world just watches its agony in silence. Seeing the increasing death toll, day by day and the number of refugees mounting, it is certain that this war is not going to end up soon. But what triggered this war, who are fighting it and why is it so aggressive in nature? We shall try to provide you with the basic facts in a nutshell.

The Syrian Civil War

The Syrian Civil War is a multi-sided conflict majorly between the current Syrian Government and the Rebel forces. The current President Bashar al Assad’s unwillingness to let go of his reign is one of the reasons for this war. He has failed to fulfil his promised reforms, and in the year 2011 he violently suppressed a peaceful protest against the Syrian Government, this directly instigated the people, and the Free Syrian Army was formed.

This war was mainly to remove President Assad, but it was soon joined by other groups and sects to carry out their personal religious and personal agendas. Even neighboring countries and beyond joined in as they supported monetarily as well as militarily to either of the sides. We can see a rift between countries, supporting either side.

The Foreign Involvement

The factions involved in this war are the Syrian government and its allies, an alliance constituting Sunni Arab Rebel groups including the Free Syrian Army, the Kurdish army (Syrian Democratic Forces), jihadist groups like al-Nusra front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The Syrian Government got the support of Iraq, Russia and Hezbollah and they support it militarily. Russia even conducts air operations in favor of the government since 2015. On the other side, the USA and its allies support the rebel forces and have carried out operations against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant and also against the Syrian Regime. This was done in 2014 after the government used chemical weapons against the civilians causing a death toll in hundreds. Use of chemical weapons again in 2017, forced the USA to attack the Government openly.

Who’s Who of Syrian War

The USA also conducted training sessions in Syria to train the Rebels. Apart from attacking the pro-government target, USA has also attacked the ISIL and other terrorist groups which have joined in this war to boost up their agenda of religious extremism. Even, there is the presence of al-Qaeda in the Idlib province of Syria, which backs up the ISIL.

The Aftermath

Around 2.5 lakh Syrians have been killed in this armed conflict spanning for four and a half years and this was before the UN stopped counting the death toll. It is estimated that around 4.7 lakh deaths have been caused by now due to this Civil War. According to UN, more than 1.5 million refugees have fled from Syria.

The government still holds a considerable portion of the country in its control, but the Rebels have a foothold in many important cities as well. President Assad is not willing to surrender to the demands of the rebels, and it seems like there is no end to the conflict, presently.

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