The war in Syria has been going on for more than five years. It began with an uprising against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in the spring of 2011. Over time, various military-political groups and international organizations were involved in the conflict. Analysts believe that the situation in the Middle East and the possibility of combating international terrorism depend on the outcome of the war in Syria.
Backstory
In 2006, a drought began in Syria, which lasted about three years, which, of course, affected the economy. Began the depletion of water resources, desertification of land. Agricultural enterprises, which provided almost the entire state with grain, collapsed already in the first year of the drought. In 2008, Syria bought grain from abroad for the first time in twenty years. Of course, prices have risen, especially for rice, wheat, feed. Cattle breeders' production fell.
Even before the start of the drought, Bashar al-Assad reduced subsidies to farmers, and this decision was not canceled even in 2008, when activedestruction of livestock. Ordinary citizens were on the verge of poverty. About 800,000 people lost their livelihoods in 2009. And in the next famine began. The rural population moved to the cities. About 1.5 million people were forced to leave their homes, which led to an excessive increase in the urban population and, according to many researchers, the emergence of internal conflict.
Hunger, unemployment, corruption, social inequality - all this has escalated with incredible force in five years and led to a civil war in Syria. To this should also be added the dissatisfaction with the socio-political system of Assad, which took place even before the onset of the drought.
Civil protests
Like any other internal conflict, the war in Syria began with mass actions. They broke out in March 2011 and, along with performances in Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Tunisia, were called the "Arab Spring". Around this time, a community appeared on Facebook calling for mass demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad. Users immediately responded: on March 15, a rally was held in Damascus. The protesters demanded the restoration of economic, political and personal freedoms, the destruction of corruption. A few days later, a new uprising broke out, now in Darya. This rally resulted in bloodshed.
The tribal factor that arose among the youth of immigrants from Arab tribes influenced the imminent outbreak of war in Syria. These are usually people who are dissatisfied with theirposition and blaming the ruling regime for everything.
After the first victims appeared, the president partially recognized the correctness of the demands, apologized to the relatives of the victims. The state of emergency, which had been in place for almost fifty years, was lifted. The government has resigned. However, this, of course, did not stop the aggression and violence that engulfed the entire country. Performances have already taken place in other cities, accompanied by arson, acts of vandalism.
After the death toll was in the hundreds, the government began using snipers and tanks as a means of quelling the riots.
Desertion
In 2011, the Israeli press reported that Syrian soldiers were fleeing military units, while officers continued to serve President Bashar al-Assad. The reason for the desertion lies in the unwillingness to shoot fellow citizens.
In 2011, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was assassinated. Opponents of the president made false predictions about the outcome of the war in Syria. Russia and Iran, however, intervened in the internal conflict, due to which the "domino effect" did not occur.
Splash of terrorism
In 2012, it became known about the creation of the Islamist group Jabhat An-Nusra. The organizers announced this publicly. Then came several videos showing suicide attacks. The purpose of the group is to announce the strengthening of the role of Islam in the war in Syria. However, soon the authorities managed to capture the city of Damascus, inwhich, according to the terrorists, "the day of judgment on all Muslims" will come.
USA
In January 2017, the first joint operation between Russia and Turkey began in all the years of the war in Syria. The fighting took place in the vicinity of the city of Al-Bab. Su-34 and Su-24M front-line bombers were involved here.
After Donald Trump took over as president, he announced that his main goal was to defeat ISIS. Accordingly, he expressed his desire and readiness to cooperate with Russia. The chemical attack in Idlib is one of the worst events in the war in Syria. There were no real battles here, but as a result of a massive missile strike, 80 people were killed. After that, the American warships fired more than 50 cruise missiles, which the Russian authorities regarded as aggression against a sovereign state.
Liberation of Deir ez-Zor
At the end of May 2017, the opposition withdrew from the city of Homs. In June, Russia and the United States developed an agreement on de-escalation zones. At the same time, the countries reached an agreement to establish a dividing line, which became the Euphrates River. In early September, government troops broke through the blockade of the city of Deir ez-Zor. Soon the IS stronghold was taken under control. The city was completely liberated from the Islamic State on November 3. However, the opposition forces continued their offensive along the northeastern, left bank of the Euphrates.
At the end of 2017, a congress of the peoples of Syria was held in Sochi. A few days before the summit in Russiavisited Bashar al-Assad.
War in Syria: latest developments
The armed conflict, which has not subsided for more than five years, is devoted to many television projects. The real war in Syria is shown in the movie "Battle for Syria". Filming took place in hot spots for three months. However, the documentary was released in 2013. The situation has since changed. What is the latest news about the war in Syria?
The armed group Jabhat al-Nusra controls the regions located in the south in the province of Idlib. In January 2018, Syrian troops, backed by Russia, continued their offensive. The militants managed to recapture Sinjar.
At the beginning of 2018, control of the transport base came from the east of Damascus. Shortly before this, the radical opposition units violated the ceasefire agreement and blockaded the base. On January 8, government troops regained control of the strategic facility. Both sides suffered casu alties.
Features of the conflict
It is worth saying a few more words about the causes of the Syrian war. The population of the country has a rather complex structure. There are tribal changes that indirectly affect the course of the Civil War. True, in recent years the power of the leaders has somewhat weakened. Nevertheless, tribal consciousness is still manifested among rural residents today.
Islamic extremism has little to do with the religious moderation of the tribes. However, residents of the regions under the control of the IS are forced to comply. The Islamic State is cruel to those who dare to resist the clans.
