American-led Intervention In Syria
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{{Infobox military conflict , width = 440px , conflict = US intervention in the Syrian civil war , partof = Operation Inherent Resolve, the war against the Islamic State, and the foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war , date = 22 September 2014 – present
({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=09, day1=22, year1=2014) , place =
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
, coordinates = , map_type = , map_relief = , latitude = , longitude = , map_size = , map_marksize = , map_caption = , map_label = , territory = , result = Ongoing * 19,786+ US and allied airstrikes, over 16,000 hitting ISIL positions * Thousands of targets destroyed, thousands of militants killed * US-backed opposition training program 2014–2017 * US and allies supplying weapons and advisers to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces * ISIL loses most of its territory in Syria by December 2017 * United States declares military victory against ISIL on 18 December 2018 * ISIL suffers military defeat and loses almost all of its remaining territory in March 2019 * ISIL resurgence in 2019 * US-led occasional strikes against Syrian opposition groups * US-led occasional strikes against the Syrian government * Further decline of Russia–United States relations * Turkey–United States relations sour on rift over Kurdish forces * US Army, Marine and Special Operation forces deployed in Syria, and the number of US troops training local armed forces has dropped from 2,000 in 2017 to 900 in 2019There are four times as many U.S. troops in Syria as previously acknowledged by the Pentagon
The Washington Post, 6 December 2017.
* Death of first ISIL's
caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019 * Death of second ISIL's caliph Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi in February 2022 * Death of third ISIL's caliph Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi in October 2022 * Attacks on US bases in Syria in 2023 and 2024{{cite web , last1=Carl , first1=Nicholas , last2=Jhaveri , first2=Ashka , last3=Braverman , first3=Alexandra , title=Iran Update, January 28, 2024 , url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-28-2024 , publisher= Institute for the Study of War , access-date=29 January 2024 , location= Washington, D.C. , format=
Think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
analysis Analysis (: analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (38 ...
, date=28 January 2024 , quote=These militias have conducted over 170 attacks targeting US positions as part of this effort since October 2023.
* US-backed rebels enter Damascus and topple the Ba'athist Syria regime * Fall of the Assad regime in 2024 * Israel, an ally of US, launches an invasion of Syria in 2024 * Turkish-backed rebels launched an offensive against US-backed Kurdish rebels , combatants_header = , combatant1 = CJTF–OIR
{{flag, United States, size=23px
{{flag, Turkey, size=23px
{{flagicon, Syrian opposition, size=23px Free Syrian Army (2011–present)
Supported by: * {{flag, United Kingdom, size=23px * {{flag, France, size=23px {{Collapsible list , title=Former participants: , bullets = yes , 1={{flag, Canada, size=23px
(2014–16) , 2={{flag, Bahrain, size=22px
(2014–16) , 3={{flag, Belgium, size=23px
(2014–17) , 4={{flag, Germany, size=23px
(2015–22) , 5={{flag, Saudi Arabia, size=23px
(2014–2018){{cite news, publisher= Middle East Monitor, title=Saudi Arabia, UAE send troops to support Kurds in Syria, date=22 November 2018, url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181122-saudi-arabia-uae-send-troops-to-support-kurds-in-syria/{{cite news, work=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
, quote=Returning from a summit in the Saudi capital last week, opposition leaders say they were told directly by the foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, that Riyadh was disengaging., url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/31/victory-for-assad-looks-increasingly-likely-as-world-loses-interest-in-syria, title=Victory for Assad looks increasingly likely as world loses interest in Syria, date=31 August 2017
, 6={{flag, United Arab Emirates, size=23px
(2014–2018) , 7={{flag, Qatar, size=23px
(2014–16) , 8={{flag, Morocco, size=23px
(2014–16) , 9={{flag, Australia, size=23px (2014–17) , 10={{flag, Netherlands, size=23px (2014–19) , 11={{flag, Denmark, size=23px
(2016–23) , 12={{flag, Italy, size=23px
(2018) Local ground forces
{{flagicon image, Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svg Syrian Democratic Forces * YPG * YPJ * {{flagicon image, Gozartoflag.svg, border=no
Syriac Military Council The Syriac Military Council (, MFS; ) is an Assyrian people, Assyrian military organisation in Syria, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The establishment of the organisation was announced on 8 January 2013. According to the Syriac Military Co ...
* Al-Sanadid Forces * Euphrates Volcano (2014–15) , combatant2 = {{flagdeco, Syria, 1980, size=23px Ba'athist Syria{{surrendered
{{flag, Russia (until 8 December 2024)
{{flag, Hezbollah
{{flag, Iran (until 6 December 2024)
Supported by: *{{flagicon image, Shiite Resistance flag.svg Islamic Resistance in Iraq{{cite web , last1=Baldore , first1=Lolita C. , last2=Copp , first2=Tara , title=US conducts airstrikes against Iran-backed groups in Syria, retaliating for attacks on US troops , url=https://apnews.com/article/us-syria-airstrikes-iran-irgc-a84ed69e5b0ef6c9fa18656b72a9fda1 , website=AP News , publisher=
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, access-date=14 November 2023 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114060335/https://apnews.com/article/us-syria-airstrikes-iran-irgc-a84ed69e5b0ef6c9fa18656b72a9fda1 , archive-date=14 November 2023 , location= Washington, D.C. , language=en , date=13 November 2023 , url-status=live
*{{flagicon image, Al hashd al shaabi 379865.jpg Popular Mobilization Forces *{{flagicon image, Kata'ib Hezbollah sans logo.JPG Kata'ib Hezbollah (limited 2019 and 2021 strikes) , combatant4 = {{flag, Islamic State (2013-present) ---- {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg, size=23px
al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
* {{flagicon image, Flag of the Al-Nusra Front (Variant).svg, size=23px al-Nusra Front (2014–2017) ** {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg, size=23px Khorasan group (2014–2017) * {{flagicon image, WaHaridFlag.png Rouse the Believers Operations Room (2018–2020) ** {{flagicon image, Guardians Of Religion INFOBOX flag.png Hurras al-Din (2018–2025) * Jund al-Aqsa (2014–17) {{flagicon image, Flag of the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria.svg Turkistan Islamic Party (2014-2025) , combatant3 = {{flagicon image, Flag of the Islamic Front (Syria).svg, size=23px Islamic Front (2013–2015)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Syrian Salvation Government.svg, size=23px Syrian Salvation Government (2017–2024) * {{flagicon image, Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg, size=23px Ahrar al-Sham (Nov. 2014–2025 airstrikes, intentionality disputed) * {{flagicon image, InfoboxHTS.svg Tahrir al-Sham (2017–2025) * {{Flagicon image, Logo of Jaysh al-Sunna.png Jaysh al-Sunna (2015–2017) , commander1 = {{flagicon, United States, size=23px
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
(from 20 January 2017 to 20 January 2021, since 20 January 2025)
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(until 20 January 2025)
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(until 20 January 2017)
{{flagicon, United States, size=23px Chuck Hagel (until 2015)
{{flagicon, United States, size=23px Ashton Carter (until 2017)
{{flagicon, United States, size=23px James Mattis (until 2019)
{{flagicon, United States, size=23px Patrick M. Shanahan (until 23 June 2019)
{{flagicon, United States, size=23px Mark Esper (until 9 November 2020)
{{flagicon, United States, size=23px Lloyd Austin (until 20 January 2025)
{{flagicon, United States, size=23px Pete Hegseth (since 25 January 2025) {{flagicon, Denmark, size=23px Mette Frederiksen (since 27 June 2019)
{{flagicon, Denmark, size=23px Lars Løkke Rasmussen (until 27 June 2019)
{{flagicon, Denmark, size=23px Helle Thorning-Schmidt
{{flagicon, Netherlands, size=23px Dick Schoof (from 2024)
{{flagicon, Netherlands, size=23px Mark Rutte(until 2024)
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px Keir Starmer (since 5 July 2024)
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px
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(until 5 July 2024)
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px Liz Truss (Until 25 October 2022)
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px Boris Johnson (until 6 September 2022)
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px Theresa May (until 24 July 2019)
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px David Cameron (until 13 July 2016)
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px Stephen Hillier
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px Anthony Albanese (since 23 May 2022)
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px
Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...
(until 23 May 2022)
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px Malcolm Turnbull (until 24 August 2018)
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px Tony Abbott (until 15 September 2015)
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px Trevor Jones
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px David Johnston
{{flagicon, France, size=23px
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
(since 14 May 2017)
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François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
(until 14 May 2017)
{{flagicon, France, size=23px Jean-Yves Le Drian
{{flagicon, France, size=23px Pierre de Villiers
{{flagicon, Saudi Arabia, size=23px King Salman
{{flagicon, Saudi Arabia, size=23px King Abdullah († 2015)
{{flagicon, Saudi Arabia, size=23px Mohammad bin Salman
{{flagicon, Morocco, size=23px King Mohammed VI
{{flagicon, Morocco, size=23px Abdelilah Benkirane
{{flagicon, Morocco, size=23px Bouchaib Arroub
{{flagicon, United Arab Emirates, size=23px Mohamed bin Zayed (since 14 May 2022)
{{flagicon, United Arab Emirates, size=23px Khalifa Al Nahyan (until 13 May 2022)
{{flagicon, Bahrain, size=23px Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
{{flagicon, Qatar, size=23px Tamim Al Thani
{{flagicon, Qatar, size=23px Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah
{{flagicon, Syrian Kurdistan, size=23px Salih Muslim Muhammad
{{flagicon, Iraqi Kurdistan, size=23px Masoud Barzani
{{flagicon, Germany, size=23px Olaf Scholz (until January 2022)
{{flagicon, Germany, size=23px Angela Merkel (until 8 December 2021)
{{flagicon, Germany, size=23px Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer
{{flagicon, Germany, size=23px Volker Wieker
{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px Stephen Harper (until November 2015)
{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px Justin Trudeau (until February 2016)
{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px Thomas J. Lawson (until February 2016)
{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px Yvan Blondin (until February 2016) , commander2 = {{flagdeco, Syria, 1980, size=23px Bashar al-Assad{{surrendered
{{Flagicon, Syria, 1980 Dawoud Rajiha (until 2012)
{{Flagicon, Syria, 1980 Fahd Jassem al-Freij (until 2018)
{{Flagicon, Syria, 1980 Ali Abdullah Ayyoub (until 2020)
{{Flagicon, Syria, 1980 Ali Mahmoud Abbas{{surrendered
{{Flagicon, Russia
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

{{Flagicon, Russia Dmitry Medvedev (until 2020)
{{Flagicon, Russia Mikhail Mishustin (from 2020)
{{Flagicon, Russia Sergei Shoygu
{{flagicon, Russia Valery Gerasimov
{{flagicon, Russia Viktor Bondarev
{{flagicon, Russia Sergey Rudskoy
(Chief of Gen Staff. Ops. Dept.)
{{flagicon, Russia Aleksandr Dvornikov
(September 2015 – June 2016)
{{flagicon, Russia Alexander Zhuravlyov
(July–December 2016)
{{flagicon, Russia Andrey Kartapolov
(December 2016 – March 2017)
{{flagicon, Russia Sergey Surovikin
(March–December 2017)
{{flagicon, Russia Alexander Zhuravlyov
(December 2017 – September 2018)
{{flagicon, Russia Sergey Kuralenko
September–October 2018
{{flagicon, Russia Aleksandr Lapin
(October 2018 – January 2019)
{{flagicon, Russia Sergey Surovikin
(January–April 2019)
{{flagicon, Russia Andrey SerdyukovКомандующего ВДВ десантировали в Сирию. Российские силы в республике возглавил Андрей Сердюков
Kommersant, 12 April 2019.
(April–September 2019)
{{flagicon, Russia Aleksandr ChaikoМинобороны РФ сменило командующего российской группировкой в Сирии
Interfax, 13 November 2019.

(September 2019 – November 2020)
{{flagicon, Russia Sergey Kuzovlev
(November 2020 – February 2021)
{{flagicon, Russia Aleksandr Chaiko
February–June 2021
{{flagicon, Russia Yevgeny Nikiforov
(June–October 2021)
{{flagicon, Russia Roman Berdnikov
(since October 2021)
{{flagicon, Russia Valery Asapov{{KIA
{{flagicon, Russia Vyacheslav Gladich{{KIA
{{flagicon, Iran Ali Khamenei
{{flagicon, Iran
Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cl ...
(until 2021)
{{flagicon, Iran Ebrahim Raisi (until dying in a Helicopter Crash in 2024)
{{flagicon, Iran Amir Hatami (but stopped being in office in 2021)
{{flagicon, Iran Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani (from 2021 but stopped being in office in 2024)
{{flagicon image, Flag of Iran.svg Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani{{KIA{{cite news, url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iranian-syrian-commanders-meet-discuss-upcoming-aleppo-offensive/, title=Iranian, Syrian commanders meet to discuss upcoming Aleppo offensive, first=Leith, last=Fadel, date=7 September 2016, newspaper= Al-Masdar News, access-date=7 September 2016, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160908162911/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/iranian-syrian-commanders-meet-discuss-upcoming-aleppo-offensive/, archive-date=8 September 2016, url-status=dead
(Quds Force chief commander)
{{flagicon image, Flag of Iran.svg Brig. Gen. Dariush Dorosti{{KIA
(IRGC commander)
{{flagicon image, Flag of Iran.svg Maj. Abolghassem Zahiri{{WIA{{cite web, url=https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/08/iranian-military-involvement-in-the-battle-for-aleppo.php, title=Iranian military involvement in the battle for Aleppo, first=Amir, last=Toumaj, website=The Long War Journal, date=3 August 2016, access-date=14 March 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805034303/http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/08/iranian-military-involvement-in-the-battle-for-aleppo.php, archive-date=5 August 2016, url-status=live
(102nd Imam Hossein Battalion commander)
{{flagicon image, Flag of Iran.svg Ahmad Gholami{{KIA
(Iranian paramilitary commander)
{{flagicon image, Flag of Iran.svg Brig.Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi{{KIA
(Quds Force commander) , commander4 = {{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi{{KIA (Leader)
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi{{KIA (Leader)
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Alaa Afri{{KIA
(Deputy Leader of ISIL)
{{flagdeco, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Ayman al-Iraqi{{KIA (Head of Military Shura)
{{flagdeco, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Omar al-Shishani{{KIA (Chief commander in Syria)
---- {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg, size=23px Abu Khayr al-Masri{{KIA (al-Qaeda deputy leader)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Al-Nusra Front (Variant).svg, size=23px Abu Humam al-Shami (al-Nusra Military Chief and subsequent leader of Hurras al-Din)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Al-Nusra Front (Variant).svg, size=23px
Abu Mohammad al-Julani Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982) also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander serving as the president of Syria since January 2025. He previously served as the coun ...
(Emir of Al-Nusra front (2012–2016))
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Al-Nusra Front.svg Abu Hajer al-Homsi{{KIA (top al-Nusra military commander)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Al-Nusra Front (Variant).svg, size=23px Abu Firas al-Suri{{KIA (al-Nusra Spokesman)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Al-Nusra Front (Variant).svg, size=23px Abu Muhammed al Ansari{{KIA
(al-Nusra Emir of the Idlib Province)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Al-Nusra Front (Variant).svg, size=23px Ahmad Salama Mabruk{{KIA (al-Nusra senior commander)
{{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg, size=23px Muhsin al-Fadhli{{KIA (Leader of Khorasan)
{{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg, size=23px Sanafi al-Nasr{{KIA
{{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg, size=23px David Drugeon{{KIA
Said Arif{{KIA (Jund al-Aqsa Military Chief)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria.svg Abu Omar al-Turkistani{{KIA (TIP and al-Nusra military commander) ---- , commander3 = {{flagicon image, Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg, size=23px Abu Yahia al-Hamawi (Emir of Ahrar al-Sham (2015–2017))
{{flagicon image, Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg, size=23px {{flagicon image, , size=23px Abu Jaber Sheikh (Emir of Ahrar al-Sham (2014-2015); Emir of Tahrir al-Sham (2017))
{{flagicon image, , size=23px Abu Mohammad al-Julani (Ahmed al-Sharaa) (Emir of Tahrir al-Sham (2017–2025); '' de facto'' Leader of Syria (2024-2025)) , units1 = , units2 = , units3 = , units4 = , strength1 = Coalition forces: Coalition forces-air {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=United States: , {{USS , George H.W. Bush, CVN-77, 6 carrier strike group , {{USS , Carl Vinson, CVN-70, 6 carrier strike group (16 Oct. – present) , {{USS , Arleigh Burke, DDG-51, 6 , {{USS , Philippine Sea, CG-58, 6 , Tomahawk missiles , Fighter aircraft , F-22 Raptor ,
F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...
, F-15 Eagle , F/A-18 Super Hornet , Bomber aircraft , B-1 Lancer , Ground-attack aircraft , A-10 Thunderbolt , Electronic warfare aircraft , EA-18G Growler{{citation needed, date=December 2020 , EA-6B Prowler , Drones , MQ-1 Predator {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Bahrain: , 2 F-16s {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=France: , 1 aircraft carrier ''Charles de Gaulle'' , 24 Rafale fighters , 8 Super-Étendard fighters , 3 Mirage 2000D fighters , 3 Mirage 2000N fighters , 1 Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Germany: , 1200 troops , 6
Panavia Tornado The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multi-role combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany. There are three primary #Variants, Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS ...
RECCE jets , 1 Airbus A310 MRTT for in-flight refueling {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Jordan: , 20 F-16s {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Qatar: , 2 Mirage 2000s {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Saudi Arabia: , 4 F-15s {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=United Arab Emirates: , 4 F-16s {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=United Kingdom: , 3 Surface Warships , 2 Submarines , 15 Eurofighter Typhoons , 9 Panavia Tornado Aircraft , 10 MQ-9 Reaper Drones , 1 ISR Aircraft , 3 RC-135 , MQ-9 Reaper {{collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Denmark , 7 F-16s in Iraq and Syria (pulled out) , 1 frigate {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Netherlands: , 4 F-16s Coalition forces-ground {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Iraqi Kurdistan: , 152 Peshmerga soldiers , Unknown amount of artillery {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=United States: , 4,000
Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
and Rangers (in Sept. 2017) , 450 Marines with 18 artillery pieces {{Collapsible list , title=France: , ~200 special forces ---- Local forces {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=YPG: , 65,000 {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Free Syrian Army: , 60,000 (May 2015 estimate) , strength2 = Ba'athist Syria: * 180,000 soldiers , strength4 = Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant: * Around 100,000 fighters (according to
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
Chief of Staff) * 3 MiG-21 or MiG-23 aircraft * At least a few hundred tanks * 2 drones ---- al-Qaeda: * Khorasan: 50 * Jund al-Aqsa: 2,100 ---- , strength3 = Islamic Front: * Ahrar al-Sham: * 26,000–30,000+ Syrian Salvation Government: * Tahrir al-Sham: 31,000+ (2017) 20,000–30,000 (2018){{cite web, url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-dunford/top-u-s-general-warns-against-major-assault-on-syrias-idlib-idUKKCN1LK1JY, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905155718/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-dunford/top-u-s-general-warns-against-major-assault-on-syrias-idlib-idUKKCN1LK1JY, url-status=dead, archive-date=5 September 2018, title=Top U.S. general warns against major assault on Syria's Idlib, first=Phil, last=Stewart, date=4 September 2018, publisher=Reuters , casualties1 = {{flagicon, United States, size=23px United States:
11 servicemen killed8 US Military, 1 DOD civilian{{Cite web, url=https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2019/Direct%20War%20Deaths%20COW%20Estimate%20November%2013%202019%20FINAL.pdf, title=Watson Institute International and Public Affairs- Brown University Human Cost of Post-9/11 Wars. November 2019
18 Government contractors killed (1 non-combat)
1
V-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-use, tiltrotor military transport aircraft, military transport and cargo aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed ...
crashed
5 combat drones lost
{{flagicon, Jordan, size=23px Jordan:
1 pilot executed
1 F-16 crashed
2 drones lost{{Cite web, url=https://warisboring.com/drones-are-dropping-like-flies-from-the-sky-over-syria/, title=Drones Are Dropping Like Flies From the Sky Over Syria, date=22 June 2017
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px United Kingdom:
1 serviceman killed
2 SAS operators wounded
{{flagicon, France, size=23px France:
1 serviceman killed , casualties2 = {{flagdeco, Syria, 1980, size=23px Ba'athist Syria:
169 soldiers and militiamen killed (per SOHR)
Up to 23 Russian paramilitary forces killed (per SOHR)Christoph Reuter
American Fury: The Truth About the Russian Deaths in Syria: Hundreds of Russian soldiers are alleged to have died in U.S. airstrikes at the beginning of February. Reporting by DER SPIEGEL shows that events were likely very different.
'' Der Spiegel'', 2 March 2018.

3 tanks destroyed
10+ aircraft destroyed
1 SAM battery destroyed {{flagicon, Iran 2 drones lost , casualties4 = {{flagicon, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant:
At least 9,158 killed
(per Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR)) ---- {{flagicon image, Flag of Jihad.svg, size=23px al-Qaeda: * {{flagicon image, Flag of the Al-Nusra Front.svg Al-Nusra Front:
349 killed
(per SOHR) * {{flagicon image} Hurras al-Din:
≈50 killed (per SOHR) ---- , casualties3 = {{flagicon image, Flag of the Islamic Front (Syria).svg, size=23px Islamic Front: * {{flagicon image, Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg, size=23px Ahrar al-Sham: 3 killed (per SOHR) * {{Flagicon image, Logo of Jaysh al-Sunna.png Jaysh al-Sunna: 10 killed (per SOHR)
{{flagicon image, Flag of the Syrian Salvation Government.svg, size=23px Syrian Salvation Government: * {{flagicon image, , size=23px Tahrir al-Sham:
6 killed , notes = 3,847 civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Syria (per SOHR)
6,100+ civilians killed by ISIL in Syria (and up to 3200 missing prisoners of ISIL) per SOHR
Over 420,000 civilians displaced or fled to other countries
Number of militants killed possibly higher, due to them covering up their losses. , campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Syrian Civil War {{Donald Trump series On 22 September 2014, the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
officially intervened in the Syrian civil war with the stated aim of fighting the
Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
(ISIL/ISIS) militant organization in support of the international war against it, code named Operation Inherent Resolve. The US currently continues to support the Syrian Free Army opposition faction and the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Shortly after the start of the civil war in 2011, the Obama administration placed
sanctions against Syria International sanctions against Syria are a series of economic sanctions and restrictions imposed on Syria which was under the Bashar al-Assad's Assad regime, dictatorship at that time by the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom ...
and supported the Free Syrian Army rebel faction by covertly authorizing Timber Sycamore under which the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
(CIA) armed and trained rebels. Following the Islamic State's occupation of Eastern Syria in August 2014, the United States conducted surveillance flights in Syria to gather intelligence regarding the Islamic State. In September 2014, the United States-led coalition—which involves the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
,
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
,
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, and others—launched an air campaign against the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front inside Syria. The US missile strike on Shayrat Airbase on 7 April 2017 was the first time the US deliberately attacked Syrian government forces during the war, and marked the start of a series of direct military actions by US forces against the Syrian government and its allies via airstrikes and aircraft shoot-downs, mainly in defense of either the Syrian Democratic Forces or the Syrian Free Army opposition group based in al-Tanf. In mid-January 2018, the Trump administration indicated its intention to maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria to accomplish US political objectives, including countering Iranian influence and ousting Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. However, on 19 December, President Trump unilaterally ordered the withdrawal of the 2,000–2,500 US ground troops in Syria at the time, which was to be completed in 2019. With proliferating concerns over a potential power vacuum, the US announced on 22 February 2019 that instead of a total withdrawal, a contingency force of around 400 US troops would remain garrisoned in Syria indefinitely, and that their withdrawal would be gradual and conditions-based, returning to a policy of open-ended American military presence in the country. In 2019, the coalition saw decisive results in its intervention against the Islamic State; the terror group lost its last remaining territory in Syria during the battle of Baghuz Fawqani and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a US special forces
raid RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...
in Idlib in October 2019. The Trump administration ordered all US forces to withdraw from Rojava in early October ahead of a Turkish incursion into the region, a controversial move widely seen as a reneging of the US's alliance with the SDF in favor of
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
ally
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. However, by November 2019, US troops instead repositioned to eastern Syria, reinforcing their presence in the al-Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor governorates, with the subordinate mission of securing SDF-controlled oil and gas infrastructure from the IS insurgency and the Syrian government. On 23 November 2019, the head of US Central Command stated there was no "end date" on the US's intervention in Syria. The US Department of Defense stated that there were around 900 US soldiers operating in Syria as of February 2021.{{cite news, work=Kurdistan24, url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/23919-US-has-900-troops-in-Syria,-likely-to-remain, title=US has 900 troops in Syria, likely to remain, date=10 February 2021, access-date=9 December 2021 On 19 December 2024, after the fall of the Assad regime,
the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
revealed that there were around 2,000 US troops in Syria, adding that the increase was temporary and occurred in recent months. However, the U.S. military continues to withdraw in 2025, leaving less than 1,000 troops to work with allies to fight the Islamic State militants.


Background

{{Further, Middle Eastern foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration#Syria, Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, Arab Spring, Arab Winter Leaked United States diplomatic cables have been seen as showing that regime change in Syria may have been a covert foreign policy goal of the US government in the years leading up to the civil war, even during the period when President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
was publicly engaging with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. A 2006 memorandum by US diplomat William Roebuck of the embassy in Damascus stated:
We believe Bashar's weaknesses are in how he chooses to react to looming issues, both perceived and real, such as...the potential threat to the regime from the increasing presence of transiting Islamist extremists. This cable summarizes our assessment of these vulnerabilities and suggests that there may be actions, statements and signals that the USG can send that will improve the likelihood of such opportunities arising. These proposals will need to be fleshed out and converted into real actions and we need to be ready to move quickly to take advantage of such opportunities. Many of our suggestions underline using Public Diplomacy and more indirect means to send messages that influence the inner circle.
According to Seymour Hersh and activist Robert Naiman, Roebuck, who went on to be charge d'affairs of the Libyan embassy under Obama, also considered the advantages of promoting religious sectarianism in Syria. Following the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, protests in Syria against the Assad regime were violently suppressed and a civil war began. By 2012 there were several armed opposition groups operating in the country, including the Free Syrian Army, formed in July 2011 by officers who defected from the Syrian Armed Forces. In 2012, the al-Nusra Front, led by Abu Muhammad al-Julani, was established by the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) as the official branch of ''al-Qaeda in Syria''. The al-Nusra Front was eclipsed by its own creator, and
al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
severed its ties to the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
in February 2014, after an eight-month power struggle. Despite clear connections between ISI and the al-Nusra Front, the two organisations never merged during the Syrian Civil War, as al-Julani refused to cede control to ISI and insisted on maintaining al-Nusra Front as a separate entity. Shortly after the civil war broke out in 2011, the US initially supplied the rebels of the Free Syrian Army with non-lethal aid (e.g., food rations and pickup trucks), but quickly began providing training, money, and intelligence to selected Syrian rebel commanders. At least two US programs attempted to assist the Syrian rebels, including a 2014 Pentagon program that planned to train and equip 15,000 rebels to fight the IS, which was canceled in 2015 after spending $500 million and producing only a few dozen fighters. A simultaneous $1 billion covert program called Timber Sycamore conducted by the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
(CIA) aimed at fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was more successful, but was decimated by Russian bombing, and canceled in mid-2017 by the Trump administration. The Obama administration began surveillance missions on Islamic State positions in Syria in September 2014. On 22 September 2014, the US,
Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...
,
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
,
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
,
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
, and the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...
(UAE) began to attack ISIL forces inside Syria, as well as the Khorasan group in the Idlib Governorate west of
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
, and the al-Nusra Front around Raqqa, as part of the international military intervention against ISIL.


Timber Sycamore and Syrian Train and Equip Program

{{Further, Timber Sycamore, CIA activities in Syria, Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war#United States At the direction of US President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, the
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
(CIA) was put in charge of operations worth about $1 billion annually to arm anti-government forces in Syria, an operation which formally began in 2013, more than two years after the start of the civil war in 2011. Prior to 2013, the CIA only supplied certain rebel groups of the Free Syrian Army with non-lethal aid, but later began providing training, funding, and intelligence to selected rebel commanders. Although a former intelligence adviser who spoke to journalist Seymour Hersh claimed the CIA had been facilitating the flow of arms from
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
to Syria in collaboration with "the UK [
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
],
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
and
Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...
" since 2012 or 2011, the first confirmed CIA weapons arrived in Spring 2014: "There were just a handful, delivered to only one rebel group carefully vetted by the CIA". The group, Harakat Hazm, or the Steadfast Movement, showed off the new weapons system by posting the first successful strike on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
in April. Another of the groups being vetted was the Islamist Army of Mujahedeen, formed in January 2014 specifically to combat ISIL. However, there were indications that the Army of Mujahedeen was still being vetted in September 2014. In addition to the covert CIA program, on 17 September 2014, the US House of Representatives voted to authorize the executive branch to overtly train and equip Syrian rebels against ISIL forces, at a cost of $500 million.


July 2014 rescue mission

{{Main, 2014 American rescue mission in Syria Following the abduction of a number of foreigners in Syria, on 4 July 2014, the US carried out an operation to rescue foreign hostages being held by ISIL. US airstrikes were conducted against an ISIL military base known as the "Osama bin Laden Camp" while at the same time, two dozen US special forces soldiers dropped from helicopters near an ISIL-held building, thought to be for high-value prisoners. No prisoners were found in the building and the soldiers were quickly engaged by ISIL forces dispatched from Raqqa, which started a three-hour firefight. US forces concluded that the hostages were no longer at the site and abandoned the rescue attempt. At least five ISIL fighters were killed and one US soldier was wounded. Jordanian forces were also reportedly involved in the operation, with one Jordanian soldier reportedly wounded, but Jordanian involvement was not confirmed. Later on, it was reported that the hostages had been moved 24 hours before the attempted rescue. Following the mission, it remained unclear whether the operation failed due to bad intelligence or whether ISIL forces were alerted in advance of the mission. In the aftermath of the rescue mission, and purportedly as a response to airstrikes in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
, ISIL beheaded three hostages over a one-month period: Americans James Foley and Steven Sotloff on 19 August and 2 September, respectively,{{citation needed, date=November 2019 and Briton David Haines on 13 September.


Surveillance flights over Syria

On 26 August 2014, the US began conducting overt surveillance flights, including drones, over Syria to gather intelligence on ISIL targets. The flights began gathering intelligence that would aid future airstrikes even though airstrikes were not yet authorized at that point. No approval was sought from the Assad government for flights entering Syrian airspace.


US-led coalition against ISIL

{{See also, War against the Islamic State#US-led intervention in Syria In June 2014, the Iraqi government formally requested the United States to assist in its struggle against ISIL, following the group's offensive in northern Iraq that same month. Since then, the US led efforts to establish a global coalition to counter ISIL. In response to this request, various sets of countries convened on 5 September, 15 September and 3 December 2014, to discuss concerted action against ISIL. Present at all three meetings were the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada,
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
and
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
. The coalition of 5 September (10 countries) decided to support anti-ISIL forces in Iraq and Syria. On 10 September 2014, US president Barack Obama announced a "comprehensive" strategy to counter ISIL that "in concert with coalition partners ..will defeat ISIL and deny them safe haven". The coalition of 3 December 2014 (sixty countries) that styled itself as the ''Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)'' agreed on a many-sided strategy against ISIL, including cutting off ISIL's financing and funding and exposing ISIL's true nature. As of March 2015, the US-led coalition comprised over sixty countries, that contributed in various ways to the effort.


Support for Kurdish-led ground forces

As the Siege of Kobanî continued there were growing calls to also arm the YPG, also known as the People's Protection Units, a Kurdish fighting force in Syria heavily involved in the defense of Kobanî. On 20 October 2014, the Turkish
foreign minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced that the Turkish government would be allowing Peshmerga from the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government to cross their border into Kobanî to support Kurdish fighters. The change in policy came after the Turkish government had refused to allow Kurdish fighters and supplies to pass through the border to YPG units in Kobanî, as it viewed the YPG as an offshoot of the PKK. On 28 October, Peshmerga from the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government departed
Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...
to travel to
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
and eventually to Kobanî. A total of 152 soldiers were deployed starting with forty vehicles carrying weapons, artillery, and machine guns, along with 80 Peshmerga forces, who crossed the border into Turkey by land with the heavy weapons and then drove to the border near Kobanî. The other 72 soldiers in the contingent flew to Turkey and rejoined the rest of the contingent on 29 October. By the start of November, 152 Kurdish Peshmerga from Iraq and 50 Free Syrian Army fighters had crossed the border into Kobanî with heavy weapons, small arms, and ammunition. On 20 October 2014, the United States began airdropping supplies to Syrian Kurdish forces, including the YPG, that were besieging ISIL-controlled Kobanî. Prior to 20 October, the United States and its anti-ISIL coalition partners in Syria had not provided any supplies to Kurdish forces in their fight against the jihadist group. Much of the reason for the US airdropping supplies was due to the Turkish government's refusal to allow supplies to pass through their border into Kobanî. The US specifically airdropped weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies supplied by
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
intended to supply the Kurdish forces in Syria. On 21 October, a video was released by ISIL showing what it claimed was a bundle of airdropped small arms, ammunition, and other supplies from the United States. The Pentagon said it was analyzing the video and could not at the time confirm whether the video was authentic but that the materials were similar; the video would subsequently be analyzed by the Department of Defense to verify its authenticity. On 22 October, the Pentagon confirmed that one of its airdrops had been intercepted by ISIL elements but downplayed the incident, saying that it most likely would not give ISIL any real advantage in their overall operations. On 8 December 2024, following the end of the Assad regime and takeover by the SDF and Syrian opposition, the United States Central Command announced renewed operations and air strikes against ISIL cells and targets within Syria. US President Joe Biden called the regime change as a "moment of risk", and clarified that the operations were to ensure that ISIL did not take advantage of the circumstances.{{fact, date=March 2025


Coalition arming and training of the Syrian opposition

{{Main, Syrian Train and Equip Program In October 2014, the Turkish government agreed to help train and equip some moderate Syrian rebels in
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. By January 2015, the United States was set to send 400 troops and hundreds of support staff to countries neighboring Syria in order to train 5,000 opposition soldiers a year for the next three years. The countries taking part in the train-and-equip program were to include Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as Turkey. The groups that were expected to be armed and trained by the US government included fighters from the Free Syrian Army.
The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
confirmed that it had selected 1,200 Syrian opposition members to begin training in March 2015, with 3,000 to complete training by the end of 2015. The successful experience in Kobanî had informed US policy in regard to arming Syrian opposition groups other than the Kurdish YPG, with plans to give other groups technicals equipped with radio and GPS equipment to call in airstrikes. John R. Allen, President Obama's envoy to the international coalition against ISIL, stated "It is clearly part of our plan, that not only we will train them, and we will equip them with the latest weapons systems, but we will also protect them when the time comes". In March 2015, the United Kingdom announced that it was sending around 75 military instructors to train Syrian opposition forces. The train-and-equip program started on 9 May 2015. On 25 May, Turkey and the US agreed "in principle" on the necessity to support these forces with air support. However, only about 200 rebel fighters actually began training, the majority of whom left after being required to agree to fight only against ISIL and not the Assad government. By mid-2015, only a group of 54 such fighters ( Division 30) had been deployed—which was quickly routed in an ambush by
al-Nusra Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...
—and a further 100 had been thus far finished training in Jordan. In September 2015, it was reported that a further 100-120 were being trained in a second wave, with 75 more Division 30 fighters reported to have re-entered Syria at the end of the month; they were immediately attacked by al-Nusra. '' Jane's Defence Weekly'' reported that in December 2015 the US shipped 994 tonnes of weapons and ammunition (including packaging and container weight), generally of Soviet-type equipment from Eastern Europe, to Syrian rebel groups under the ongoing CIA Timber Sycamore operation. A detailed list of weapon types and shipment weights had been obtained from the US government's Federal Business Opportunities website. As of July 2016, extensive arms shipments were continuing. It was reported in July 2017 that the Donald Trump administration decided to "phase-out" the CIA program to equip and train anti-government rebel groups.


Multinational air war

{{further, Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against the Government of Syria to Respond to Use of Chemical Weapons


Contributing countries

* {{flagu, Australia ( Operation Okra) – Airstrikes ended December 2017. Concluded December 2024. * {{flagu, Bahrain – Ended in 2016 * {{flagu, Belgium – Ended in 2017 * {{flagu, Canada ( Operation Impact § In Syria) – Airstrikes ended February 2016 * {{flagu, France ( Opération Chammal) * {{flagu, Germany ( Operation Counter Daesh) – Operations in Syria ended January 2022 * {{flagu, Netherlands ( Dutch military intervention against ISIL and Dutch involvement in the Syrian civil war) – Airstrikes in Syria began January 2016; anti-ISIL operations ended January 2019 * {{flagu, Jordan ( Jordanian intervention in the Syrian civil war) – Airstrikes partially ended in July 2018{{Cite web, url=https://apnews.com/article/a3f6fc164ecb4f5c8845cc05d59da6c6, title=The Latest: Syrian forces drive IS from Golan frontier, date=30 July 2018, website=AP NEWS * {{flagu, Qatar ( Qatari involvement in the Syrian civil war) * {{flagu, Saudi Arabia ( Saudi Arabian involvement in the Syrian civil war) – Involvement ended in 2018 * {{flagu, Turkey ( Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war and Turkey–Islamic State conflict) * {{flagu, United Arab Emirates – Involvement ended in 2018 * {{flagu, United Kingdom, size=22px ( Operation Shader § Intervention in Syria) * {{flagu, United States (Leader) ( Operation Inherent Resolve)


US airstrikes

In his address to the nation on 10 September 2014, US President Obama announced his intention to bomb ISIL targets in Syria and called on Congress to authorize a program to train and arm rebels who were fighting ISIL and the Syrian forces of Bashar al-Assad. For the first time, he authorized direct attacks against the militant group in Syria. In his address, he said the United States were going on offensive, launching "a steady, relentless effort to take out" the group "wherever they exist." Obama also announced creating of a broader coalition against ISIL. Commenting on Obama's address, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman {{Interlanguage link, Alexander Lukashevich, 2=ru, 3=Лукашевич, Александр Казимирович, preserve=1 opposed the US intervention against ISIL in Syria "without the consent of the legitimate government" and said that "this step, in the absence of a UN Security Council decision, would be an act of aggression, a gross violation of international law". Ali Haidar, Syrian minister of national reconciliation, said that "any action of any kind without the consent of the Syrian government would be an attack on Syria". On 17 September, the US House of Representatives approved Obama's plan to train and arm the Syrian rebels in their fight against ISIL. In a statement following the House vote, Obama said that the United States would not send military troops to Syria. The
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
gave final congressional approval to Obama's proposal the next day. The US did not request permission from the Syrian government, nor did it coordinate its actions with the Syrian government, provide direct notification to the Syrian military or give indication of timing on specific targets, but it did notify the Syrian U.N. representative, which the Syrian government confirmed. Before the airstrikes began, the United States also informed
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, the Assad government's largest regional ally, of their intention to launch airstrikes. It did not share specific timing or targets of strikes with the Iranian government but reportedly assured it that the US would not strike any Syrian government targets. {{See also, Battle of Khasham On 8 April 2018, US President Donald Trump called Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad "Animal Assad", following suspected chemical attack carried out in the Syrian city of Douma. On 14 April, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom carried out missile strikes against Syria. On 30 May, President Al-Assad responded to the insult, by saying: "What you say is what you are." It was reported in June 2018 that the 441st Air Expeditionary Squadron reportedly maintained an unpaved
runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...
in Sarrin, Raqqa Governorate. {{See also, 2019 U.S. airstrike in Baghuz On 14 June 2020, a US coalition drone strike killed Guardians of Religion Organization leaders Khalid al-Aruri and Bilal al-Sanaani who were driving a vehicle in Idlib. There was reportedly no explosion and the target vehicle was relatively intact, with the roof and windshield impacted from above and one side shredded, leading observers to suggest the munition used was probably the kinetic Hellfire R9X missile that uses blades to eviscerate its target rather than an explosive warhead. On 24 June, Abu Adnan al-Homsi, logistics and equipment commander at the Guardians of Religion Organization, was also killed by a US drone strike. On 25 February 2021, US military airstrikes commanded by US president
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
destroyed multiple facilities related to pro-Iranian militias including Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, at a border control point near al-Hurri village, Abu Kamal District, in retaliation to Erbil missile attacks. At least 17 militants were reported killed in the strikes, although the militias only confirmed one. The strikes were conducted by two F15s dropping Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) and was the first overt military operation ordered by the Biden administration. On 28 June 2021, the US military conducted airstrikes on facilities purportedly used by Iranian-supported militias near the Iraq–Syria border. However, the SOHR stated that at least nine Iran-backed Iraqi militia fighters died, and many others were injured.


Airstrikes on the Khorasan Group

One of the groups targeted by US airstrikes was the Khorasan Group, an extremist group of suspected al-Qaeda "core" members who were alleged to have been plotting an attack against the US and other Western nations. The strikes targeted Khorasan training camps, explosives and munitions production facilities, communications facilities, as well as command and control facilities. The group has been claimed to possess advanced bomb making skills and their plot is claimed to involve a bomb made of a nonmetallic device such as a toothpaste container or clothes dipped in explosive material. The group is reportedly led by Muhsin al-Fadhli, a leader of
al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...
and a close confidant of
Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
. Intelligence officials expressed concern that the group may include militants who were taught by Ibrahim al-Asiri, the chief bomb maker for al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, who is known for his sophisticated bomb making techniques that nearly downed two Western airliners. Later statements by government officials indicated that the threat of a plot may have been less severe than initially reported. One official indicated that "there did not yet seem to be a concrete plan in the works", while another told ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' that "there was no indication of an imminent domestic threat from the group" at the time the United States began bombing. On 6 November, a second round of airstrikes was launched against Khorasan and al-Nusra in northwestern Syria, along with Ahrar ash-Sham at its headquarters in Idlib, whose leadership had been infiltrated by al-Qaeda. On 13 November 2014, the US launched a third set of airstrikes against Khorasan. On 19 November, the US carried out another airstrike on Khorasan near Hazm, which struck and destroyed a storage facility associated with the group. On 1 December, the US carried out another airstrike on Khorasan near Aleppo. On 24 March 2015, it was revealed that the US airstrikes on Khorasan had killed 17 militants from the group. On 8 July 2015, a US airstrike near the town of Sarmada in Idlib, Syria, killed Muhsin al-Fadhli, the leader of Khorasan.


Ground operations

{{See also, Al-Tanf (U.S. military base), List of United States special forces raids during the Syrian civil war Initially, coalition leaders, including US President Obama, said their ground forces would not be used in the fight against ISIL either in Iraq or Syria unless they were local coalition forces. In Iraq, thousands of coalition troops from the US and other nations had been deployed in an advisory capacity; in Syria no ground troops from the coalition were deployed in the beginning of the intervention.


2015–16

{{Further, Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War#2015, Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War#2016 In November 2015, the Obama administration began the deployment of US special forces to Syria, with the mission of assisting rebel forces in their fight against ISIL, President Obama then ordered several dozen Special Operations troops into Rojava in northern Syria to assist local fighters battling ISIL, authorizing the first open-ended mission by American ground forces into the country. ISIL's deputy leader in Syria, Abu Ali al-Anbari, was killed by JSOC special forces operatives in March 2016, in eastern Syria near the Syrian–Iraqi border, while he and three other ISIL members were traveling in a vehicle coming from Raqqa. The US Special Forces ordered him to exit the vehicle, intending to arrest him. When he refused and pulled out an assault rifle instead, US forces fired at the vehicle, killing him and the other passengers on board. US commandos also seized electronics and other documents during the operation for intelligence purposes. In March 2016, King Abdullah of Jordan said that British forces had helped in the building up of a mechanized battalion in southern Syria, consisting of tribal fighters to combat the Syrian Army. On 17 March 2016, the day after the declaration of the Federation of Northern Syria, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter praised the Syrian Democratic Forces as having "proven to be excellent partners of ours on the ground in fighting ISIL. We are grateful for that, and we intend to continue to do that, recognizing the complexities of their regional role." During the SDF's May 2016 offensive against ISIL in Northern Raqqa, US Special Forces were widely reported and photographed to be present, with some of them wearing badges of the Kurdish YPG and YPJ on their uniforms. On 21 May, Joseph Votel, commanding general of US Central Command, completed a secret hours-long trip to northern Syria to visit several locations where there were US special operations forces and meet with local forces the US was helping train to fight ISIL. The visit came as the first of 250 additional US special operations forces were beginning to arrive in Syria to work with local forces. The commander overseeing the war in
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
, at the end of a long Saturday spent touring SDF bases, said "We do, absolutely, have to go with what we've got". In September 2016, the US spokesman for the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) confirmed that the SDF, including the YPG, is also part of the "vetted forces" in the train and equip program and would be supplied with weapons. The
President of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye (), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the ...
,
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
, condemned this and claimed that the SDF are "endangering our future". In October 2016, US Army Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, the commander of the international coalition against ISIL, said that the SDF would lead the impending assault on Raqqa, ISIL's then-stronghold and capital, and that SDF commanders would plan the operation with advice from American and coalition troops. From November 2016, more than 300 US Special Operations Forces were embedded to train and advise SDF fighters in the Raqqa offensive.


2017–18

{{Further, Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War#2017, Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War#2018 In March 2017, the Trump administration deployed an additional 400 US Marines to Syria to expand the fight against ISIL in the Raqqa offensive where they could provide artillery support for US-backed local forces that were preparing an assault on Raqqa to liberate the city from IS militants. The deployment marked a new escalation in the US's war in Syria, and put more conventional US troops in the battle that, until then, had primarily used Special Operations units. The 400 Marines were part of the 11th MEU from the Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines. They manned an artillery battery of M-777 Howitzers whilst additional infantrymen from the unit provided security; resupplies were handled by part of the expeditionary force's combat logistics element. During the Raqqa campaign alone, this small artillery battalion fired over 40,000 shells (including 34,033 155 mm), more than were used in the entire 2003 invasion of Iraq and only 20,000 fewer than all those fired by the US military in Operation Desert Storm. In March 2018, SDF press secretary in Deir ez-Zor Mehdi Kobani reportedly told Sputnik Turkiye that US forces were building a "large military base" in the oil-rich al-Omar region of Deir ez-Zor as new equipment had been reportedly arriving to US bases in Syria. The al-Omar oilfield is the largest oil deposit in Syria, and was captured by the SDF during their campaign against ISIL in October 2017.


2019 drawdown of US ground forces

{{Further, Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War#2019 On 19 December 2018, President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
announced that he ordered the pullout of all 2,000–2,500 US troops operating in Syria, though no clear timetable was given. A day later, after failing to convince Trump to reconsider his decision to withdraw all American troops from Syria, Jim Mattis announced his resignation as Secretary of Defense. On 3 January 2019, Trump described Syria as "sand and death" in defense of troop withdrawal. US operations in al-Tanf would continue indefinitely. On 16 January 2019, a suicide bombing claimed by ISIL in the SDF-controlled town of Manbij killed four US personnel and injured three servicemen, making it the deadliest attack on Coalition forces in the country since the intervention. The ISIL attack drew a second round of criticism of the US president's withdrawal order, with critics linking the attack with an emboldening of ISIL terror and insurgent tactics due to the announcement of a US pullout, despite the group's continued loss of territory in Syria. President Trump offered condolences to the families of the slain American citizens on 17 January while he reaffirmed his policy of withdrawing troops. Trump paid tribute to the fallen Americans during a trip to Dover Air Force Base in the US state of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
on 19 January, where their remains were received. On 21 January, an ISIL SVBIED targeted a US convoy accompanied by SDF troops on the Shadadi- Al-Hasakah road in Al-Hasakah province, killing five SDF personnel. Witnesses said the SVBIED rammed into an SDF vehicle by a checkpoint held by Kurdish forces a dozen kilometers outside Shadadi as the US convoy drove past. No Americans were harmed. CNN reported on 24 January that additional US troops were moved to Syria to help provide security for the pullout of equipment and personnel as they are moved out via air and land routes. US Department of Defense officials said the additional security forces would move around Syria to different locations as needed and may move in and out of the country at times. Troop numbers would also fluctuate as American presence gradually declines. Defense officials declined to give specifics on numbers, locations, or timetables, citing security concerns. Local sources reported to Anadolu Agency on 28 January that around 600 US troops had allegedly entered eastern Syria from western Iraq to help with the withdrawal process, arriving at discreet bases in Harab Isk and Sarrin villages set to be used as main evacuation centers during the withdrawal. The news agency added that the American-controlled airfields in Rmeilan and Tell Beydar would be used to airlift heavy weapons and equipment from the country; the Coalition itself did not confirm these reports. By the end of January 2019, according to two US officials, more than 10 percent of American equipment and supplies had been removed from Syria, with 3,000 additional personnel brought into the country to facilitate the draw-down of forces. By 9 February, hundreds of US airstrikes and ground support for the SDF continued as the Kurdish-led force began its final assault on the last ISIL holdouts trapped in a small cluster of hamlets in eastern Syria (including Al-Baghuz Fawqani and southern Al-Marashidah) no larger than a few square miles. US officials, including President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, believed the SDF would be able to defeat the remaining diehard ISIL fighters "in days", bringing an end to ISIL's claim of a territorial caliphate. On 18 February, Commander-in-Chief of the SDF Mazlum Kobane expressed hopes the US would halt its total pullout. Kobane said there were discussions about perhaps French and British troops supporting them, but demanded 1,000–1,500 US troops stay in Syria to provide "air cover, air support and a force on the ground" to help the SDF in its ongoing fight against ISIL. CENTCOM commander Gen. Joseph Votel reiterated the US withdrawal was continuing.{{cite web , url=https://www.memri.org/jttm/iran-backed-group-claims-drone-attack-us-base-northeast-syria#_edn1 , title=Iran-Backed Group Claims Drone Attack On U.S. Base In Northeast Syria , publisher=Middle East Media Research Institute , date=26 March 2023 , access-date=2 July 2023 , archive-date=18 July 2023 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718055056/https://www.memri.org/jttm/iran-backed-group-claims-drone-attack-us-base-northeast-syria#_edn1 , url-status=live With the general withdrawal continuing, the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
announced late on 21 February that 200 residual US troops would remain in Syria as a "peacekeeping force". The peacekeeping deployment would be indefinite. The next day it was revealed the actual number was 400 troops, not 200, as half would be based in Rojava and half at al-Tanf. Officials stated it was a part of an initiative to get NATO allies to commit to a multinational observer force that would establish a "safe zone" in Rojava to keep the Kurds and Turks from clashing, to prevent pro-Syrian government forces from attacking the Kurds, and to keep up pressure to prevent an ISIL resurgence. The US was not seeking a
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
mandate for the deployment and did not envision asking NATO to sponsor the mission, an administration official said at the time, adding that the troops would not technically be " peacekeepers," a term that carries restricted rules of engagement. On 7 March, Gen. Joseph Votel confirmed that US forces were in no rush to pullout by a specific date, instead saying the completion of the withdrawal was conditional on ISIL no longer posing a security threat to US forces and their allies. By late March, the US continued to stretch the timetable for the pullout. On 29 March, US officials reportedly said the Pentagon's latest plans called for cutting its combat force in northeastern Syria roughly in half by early May 2019, or to about 1,000 troops, and would then pause pullout operations. The military would then reduce the number of forces every six months, depending on conditions on the ground, until it reaches the 400 troops previously approved by the president. Under this plan, the lowest troop numbers would not be reached until autumn 2020. The longer timetable would provide the US more time to negotiate and work out details over the planned multinational safe zone along Turkey's border. Officials cautioned that the timetable was open-ended and still subject to change, with factors ranging from allied troop contributions to new orders from the president himself. In early May, video emerged online of US forces firing upon an alleged Syrian government barge ferrying oil supplies in the Middle Euphrates River Valley. The video was posted on Facebook by the pro-SDF "Deir Ezzor Media Center".


Withdrawal from north Syria

{{Further, Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War#October 2019: U.S. withdrawal from north Syria, return, & al-Baghdadi's death Following the collapse of the August–October 2019 Northern Syria Buffer Zone agreement and subsequent Turkish offensive against the SDF, US ground forces began deliberately withdrawing from many of their bases, outposts, and camps in north Syria around 6 October, including Manbij and the Lafarge cement factory, upon "precipitous" orders from the Donald Trump administration. Senior US military officials said that troops abandoned bases as far south as Tabqah and Raqqa and consolidated all personnel and essential equipment near Kobanî to await airlifts and convoys out of the country throughout coming weeks. A US official at the time said the ≈1,000 US troops being withdrawn will mostly reposition in western
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
but also possibly
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
and
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
. From Iraq, US forces could conduct cross-border operations against ISIL in Syria, as they had done so in the past. During the withdrawal, which was described in news media as a "scramble", reports emerged showing that US and SDF troops had hastily stripped their camps and bases of sensitive materials but left fortifications in place, many of which became immediately occupied by Syrian government and Russian forces as they quickly moved into the region as part of a protection deal, established on 13 October, between the Assad government and Rojava. Video emerged online of Russian troops reportedly exploring an abandoned US outpost near Manbij. On 16 October, two Operation Inherent Resolve F-15 jets bombed their section of the Lafarge cement factory base, located between Kobanî and Ayn Issa, "to destroy an ammunition cache and reduce the facility's military usefulness" as Turkish-backed militias advanced towards the area. "The location had been the headquarters of the de facto Defeat-ISIS coalition in Syria," Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Myles Caggins III said, adding that "No US forces or equipment were ever in jeopardy and remain within separate, secure facilities." SDF personnel burned their part of the base before departing. On the same day, President Trump commented on the developments by describing the Kurds as "no angels", and about Syria, he said: "Syria may have some help with Russia, and that's fine. It's a lot of sand. They've got a lot of sand over there. So there's a lot of sand there that they can play with". On 18 October, after a " ceasefire" between Turkish and Kurdish forces was declared a day prior, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper stated that the withdrawal was continuing and that the US would continue to communicate with both Turkey and the SDF. A senior defense official stated that US aircraft would continue to conduct intelligence missions over northeast Syria to monitor the situation there. In late October, Esper said the US forces leaving Syria would head into western Iraq. But after Iraqi leaders said those troops can't stay there, Esper said they will be deployed in Iraq only temporarily before returning to the US According to ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', citing US Defense Department officials, by 30 October at least half of the original ≈1,000 US troops in Syria had withdrawn and was expected to be reduced to roughly 250 personnel, largely concentrated in the Deir ez-Zor region. On 31 October, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called President Trump the "best American president", saying he was the most transparent foe, due to his audacity to openly discuss seizing Syrian oil. On 3 November 2019 US and coalition forces departed their strategic military base near the town of Sarrin. US forces removed all their equipment and were seen leaving the base in a convoy of tens of trucks. The base was one of the largest US bases in Syria, a logistics hub that assisted in the anti-ISIL intervention. On 10 November, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley stated that at least 500 to 600 US troops would remain in Syria and will not exceed 1,000 personnel. It was not clear if that estimate included the ≈200 troops at al-Tanf. By mid-November, Russian and Syrian government forces had quickly filled the power vacuum left behind by the US in much of northern Syria. The US had withdrawn from its logistics base in Kobanî by 14 November, with Russia announcing it would set up a new helicopter base in Qamishli the same day. On 17 November, Russia's state-owned Zvezda channel aired footage of armed Russian sappers and Military Police seizing control of the Kobanî airbase days prior, with choppers landing on the US-made airstrip there and the Russian flag seen hoisted over the fortification, of which had been hastily stripped of essentials by coalition personnel, only leaving behind toiletries, sleeping facilities, some
exercise equipment Exercise equipment is any apparatus or device used during physical activity to enhance the strength or conditioning effects of that exercise by providing either fixed or adjustable amounts of resistance, or to otherwise enhance the experience or ...
, and other small items. While Syrian government troops gradually re-established its presence in the region, Russia and Turkey continued to occupy and conduct patrols throughout north east Syria as well, in accordance with the Sochi Agreement. By 4 December, the US had completed its military pullback from northeastern Syria and had consolidated its troop presence in the country to a "relatively static" 600 personnel, according to Mark Esper.{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-syria-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-military-completes-pullback-from-northeast-syria-esper-says-idUSKBN1Y90CU, work=Reuters, date=4 December 2019, access-date=6 December 2019, title=U.S. military completes pullback from northeast Syria, Esper says The withdrawal from north Syria was partially carried out by the US Army 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command's Syria Logistics Cell (SLC), a key component of the Army's 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, and Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.


2019–20: Eastern Syria redeployment

{{Further, Eastern Syria insurgency, Oil production and smuggling in ISIL By 20 October 2019, after backlash from the US Congress, the Trump administration had conducted a partial reversal of its 6 October order to pullout 1,000 troops from Syria, instead confirming a newly dedicated mission to guard oil and gas fields and related infrastructure in SDF-controlled eastern Syria from ISIL insurgent attacks. While US forces continued to reduce its presence in northern Syria by the hundreds to avoid Syrian-SDF and Turkish fighting, the US simultaneously shifted more resources south and east into the oil-rich Deir ez-Zor Governorate. Defense Secretary Mark Esper confirmed on 25 October that the US would "maintain a reduced presence in Syria and deny ISIS access to oil revenue" and, in support of the mission, mechanized and armored units would be deployed to eastern Syria to reinforce the American presence there. Throughout late October-early November 2019, this contingent was reinforced with hundreds of new infantry troops joined by mechanized infantry Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs) in Bradley IFVs and—according to unnamed sources—potentially tanks, redeployed from Iraq and
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, which was estimated to raise the number of US troops in eastern Syria to around 500 at the time. When coupled with the US garrison at al-Tanf, the contingency force's numbers rise to a flexible 800–900 personnel. In Syria's Deir ez-Zor Governorate, which lies far to the North-East of al-Tanf, the United States has stated that it will increase its presence in SDF controlled territory along the Eastern bank of the
Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...
river and also establish military bases at Al-Baghuz Fawqani, Al-Busayrah, al-Ezba, and the Al-Omar Field.{{cite web, last=Hassan, first=Mohammed, url=https://syria.chathamhouse.org/research/arab-tribes-in-al-hasakah-and-deir-ez-zor-choose-their-allies, title=Arab Tribes in al-Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor Choose Their Allies, website=Chatham House, date=January 2020, accessdate=3 August 2021 On 30 October, the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, a US combined arms battalion equipped with M2A2 Bradley IFVs deployed to the Deir ez-Zor region to help guard SDF-US controlled oil and gas fields. The battalion is part of the US Army National Guard's 30th ABCT which had begun arriving in Kuwait the week prior to relieve the regular Army 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in support of Operation Spartan Shield, the US's theater-level contingency force for the Middle East. By 31 October, US forces in M-ATV convoys were seen conducting dedicated patrols of oil and gas-related facilities throughout Syria's al-Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor Governorates, usually accompanied by SDF personnel. The US's deployment of heavy armored vehicles to Syria for the first time in the intervention—as opposed to the lighter armored RG-33s, M-ATVs, Strykers, Armored Ground Mobility Systems,{{citation needed, date=December 2020 and NSTVs (Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles) US special operations units and regular ground forces have used prior—introduced additional firepower and force protection capabilities for ground forces. Nevertheless, the Bradley IFVs were pulled out of Syria after less than two months of deployment due to unspecified reasons. On 3 November, OIR officials confirmed that multiple artillery rounds landed about one kilometer from a road with a US convoy; OIR, without offering additional details, stated no personnel were injured and the patrol was not hit. The Russian Defense Ministry were the first to report the incident, adding that the incident was near Tell Tamer and that it was elements of Turkish-backed rebels that fired the artillery. On 4 November, '' Rudaw'' briefly interviewed a US special operations soldier during a patrol at an oilfield near Rmelan, who stated that US forces are "working with the SDF and they're letting us know the situation up here as they see it." According to North Press Agency, the US patrol had begun in Rmelan and spanned the towns of al-Jawadiyah, al-Malikiyah, and Ain-Diwar. On 15 December, a large US logistical convoy en route to Deir ez-Zor was reportedly seen crossing Semalka into al-Hasakah province from Iraq. {{Further, Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war#2020 By mid-January 2020, tensions between Russian and US forces in northeast Syria had reportedly grown as US troops had increasingly begun blocking Russian convoys from accessing certain major roads between towns. Both Russia and the US operate military outposts throughout the region as a part of their respective missions. On 25 August, a Russian military vehicle rammed a US armored car near al-Malikiyah, northeastern Syria, in which four US soldiers had suffered mild concussions. Russian defense minister Sergey Shoygu said that "the US armed forces soldiers tried to block the Russian patrol"; meanwhile, a US defense official said that Russian forces went to a "security zone" that they should not enter. On 30 July 2020, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria signed an agreement with an American oil company, Delta Crescent Energy LLC, to develop oil fields in the region. The Syrian authorities condemned the agreement, and mentioned that: "This agreement is null and void and has no legal basis." Seizing oil without local government permission would be a
war crime A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostage ...
of pillage. On 17 August, US forces killed at least one Syrian soldier and wounded two others, after a fire exchange near a checkpoint in the village of Tal Dahab, near Qamishli, northeastern Syria. On 19 September, the US deployed additional troops, equipment and armored vehicles to north-eastern Syria after tensions with Russia escalated in the region. According to officials, the moves were meant "to help ensure the safety and security of coalition forces." US Central Command mentioned that the United States had deployed Sentinel radars and Bradley vehicles to augment forces in the "Eastern Syria Security Area" (ESSA). The reinforcements were considered a response to a 26 August incident where a Russian armored vehicle collided with a coalition M-ATV, injuring four US soldiers. It was reported on 30 November 2020 that an airstrike near the Iraq–Syria border killed an unidentified
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...
commander and three other men traveling with him from Iraq and into Syria. The vehicle was struck after it entered Syrian territory. Iraqi security and local militia officials said the commander's vehicle had weapons in it and that pro-Iran paramilitary groups helped retrieve the bodies. Sources did not identify the commander nor elaborate on the exact time of the incident. It was not immediately known who conducted the strike, and
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
could not independently verify the reports.


2021–present: Continued Iranian—US proxy conflict

{{Update section, date=May 2024 {{Further, Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war#2021, Attacks on US bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria during the Israel–Hamas war On 10 February 2021, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters that US troops were not committed to protecting Syrian oil fields except "for where appropriate under certain existing authorizations to protect civilians." He added that "DOD epartment of Defensepersonnel or contractors are not authorized to provide assistance to any other private company, including its employees or agents, seeking to develop oil resources in northeastern Syria." However, there were reports from local sources in northeastern Syria that US forces had transported oil and wheat smuggled from Syria to Iraq. On 28 June 2021, President Biden directed airstrikes against Iran-backed militia groups close to the Syria-Iraq border. F-15E and
F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...
aircraft were used to launch the attack in what the U.S. described as a retaliatory attack against U.S. facilities and personnel in Iraq by militia groups. Two operational and weapons storage facilities were targeted in Syria, the U.S. military revealed in a statement. Despite the U.S. not disclosing the information regarding the casualties in the attack, the SOHR stated that at least nine Iran-backed Iraqi militia fighters died, leaving many others injured. Iraqi militia groups aligned with Iran in a statement named four members of the Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada faction they said were killed in the attack on the Syria-Iraq border. Hours later, U.S. forces in Syria came under fire, following the U.S. strikes on the Syria-Iraqi border. Pro-Iranian militias fired rockets at the American base at Al-Omar Oilfield in Syria in response to U.S. airstrikes. The U.S. coalition responded by firing heavy artillery on Iranian-backed Militias Positions around Al-Mayadin. There were no injuries sustained during the attack, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, Col. Wayne Marotto disclosed. On 10 July 2021, a mortar shell landed near MSS Conoco, with no injuries reported. It was reportedly the fourth attack on or near U.S. troops or diplomats within a week, reportedly including one in which two service members were injured. No group claimed responsibility, but U.S. forces suspected Iran-backed proxy militias of carrying out such attacks. On 20 October 2021, troops at the al-Tanf garrison were attacked by bomb-laden drones in what Pentagon spokesman John Kirby called a "complex, coordinated and deliberate attack". U.S. officials reportedly blamed Iran and its proxy forces for the attack, but publicly declined to specify details of the attack and whether the U.S. was considering retaliation. There were no reports of deaths or injuries. Attacks by small drones carrying munitions have posed a consistent threat to U.S. forces in eastern Syria since at least March 2020, with U.S. forces suspecting ISIL or Iran-backed elements of conducting the attacks, as U.S.-Iranian tensions in the region have persisted. On 24 August 2022, Joe Biden ordered airstrikes on claimed IRGC and
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n-backed proxy groups in
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
near Deir ez-Zor. The airstrikes were in retaliation on an attack on the Al-Tanf garrison. The airstrikes were also considered a massive setback in negotiations in order to revive the JCPOA. Airstrikes were also reported on 25 August. Iran strongly condemned the strikes and denied any links with the targets. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that Liwa Fatemiyoun and the Syrian Army were targeted in the airstrikes. On 23 March 2023, at 1:38 p.m. local time ( UTC+03:00), a kamikaze drone allegedly of Iranian origin struck a coalition base at Abu Hajar Airport near Rmelan,
al-Hasakah Governorate Al-Hasakah Governorate (; ; , also known as , ''Gozarto'') is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is located in the far north-east corner of Syria and distinguished by its fertile lands, plentiful water ...
in northeastern Syria, killing one United States contractor and injuring five servicemen and second contractor.{{Cite news , title=Another attack on an American base In Syria Friday after US retaliatory airstrikes , language=en , url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/us-military-airstrikes-syria-drone-attack-kills-contractor/story?id=98091728 , access-date=2023-03-24 , archive-date=2023-03-24 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324034607/https://abcnews.go.com/International/us-military-airstrikes-syria-drone-attack-kills-contractor/story?id=98091728 , url-status=live {{Cite news , last=Schmitt , first=Eric , date=2023-03-24 , title=Conflict in Syria Escalates Following Attack That Killed a U.S. Contractor , language=en-US , work=The New York Times , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/politics/syria-us-contractor-killed-iran-drone.html , access-date=2023-03-27 , issn=0362-4331 , archive-date=2023-03-26 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326233122/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/politics/syria-us-contractor-killed-iran-drone.html , url-status=live
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
reported, US officials said the main air defense system at the base was "not fully operational" at the time of Thursday's Drone Strike.{{cite web , last1=Schmitt , first1=Eric , title=Conflict in Syria Escalates Following Attack That Killed a U.S. Contractor , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/politics/syria-us-contractor-killed-iran-drone.html#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%94%20The%20conflict%20in%20northeast,and%20injured%20six%20other%20Americans. , website=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
, access-date=2023-07-02 , archive-date=2023-03-26 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326233122/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/24/us/politics/syria-us-contractor-killed-iran-drone.html#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%94%20The%20conflict%20in%20northeast,and%20injured%20six%20other%20Americans. , url-status=live
In retaliation, U.S. President
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
authorized a response with an airstrike on IRGC-linked targets, including a weapons warehouse in the Harabish neighborhood in Deir ez-Zor, and military posts in the al-Mayadin and Abu Kamal countryside, killing 14 people including nine Syrians, according to SOHR. On 24 March 2023, 10 rockets were launched at the Green Village near al-Omar oil field which injured another American serviceman. By afternoon, another rocket attack targeted US forces near the oil and gas fields of Conoco, east of Deir ez-Zor. On 30 March, the Pentagon revealed that twelve American were wounded in total with six U.S. troops in Syria suffering traumatic brain injuries due to the two attacks by Iran-backed militias.{{Cite news , last1=Stewart , first1=Phil , last2=Ali , first2=Idrees , last3=Stewart , first3=Phil , last4=Ali , first4=Idrees , date=2023-03-30 , title=Six U.S. troops suffer traumatic brain injuries in Syria -Pentagon , language=en , work=Reuters , url=https://www.reuters.com/world/six-us-troops-suffer-traumatic-brain-injuries-syria-pentagon-2023-03-30/ , access-date=2023-03-31 , archive-date=2023-03-30 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330192536/https://www.reuters.com/world/six-us-troops-suffer-traumatic-brain-injuries-syria-pentagon-2023-03-30/ , url-status=live A little-known militant group known as Liwa Al-Ghaliboun (The Brigade of Those who Prevail) claimed responsibility for the initial drone attack, although some observers believe the group to simply be a front group for a larger Iranian-backed group or the IRGC. On 18 October 2023, American military bases in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
,
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
and eastern
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
were attacked by three drones. Pentagon officials insisted that there are few casualties. On 26 October, United States DoD said it conducted airstrikes on two facilities in eastern
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
linked to IRGC-backed militias in retaliation for the attacks.


Turkish involvement

{{Main, Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war, Turkey–Islamic State conflict
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, a
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
member, has been involved in the Syrian civil war since the beginning of hostilities. Turkey has trained and armed some members of the Free Syrian Army and al-Qaeda in Syria, and has been involved in certain spillover incidents. On 2 October 2014, the Turkish Parliament authorized direct military action in both
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
including using military force in Syria and Iraq as well as allowing coalition members to use bases in Turkey. Turkey has also stationed troops and tanks on its southern border near the Syrian border city of Kobanî. The Turkish government demanded several things to go along with them intervening against ISIL, including a buffer zone in Northern Syria, a no-fly zone over certain parts of northern Syria, ground troops from other countries, and the training of moderate opposition forces to fight both ISIL and al-Assad. In October 2014, the Turkish Parliament authorized direct military action in both
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
, including using military force, as well as allowing Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve members to use bases in Turkey. The same month, US Vice President
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
accused Turkey of funding al-Nusra and al Qaeda, after which Turkish President Recep Erdoğan demanded an apology, adding that if no apology was made, Biden would become "history to me." Biden subsequently apologized. On 22 February 2015, the
Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces () is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for Army, land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the ...
mounted an operation across the border to evacuate its soldiers from the Tomb of Suleyman Shah and relocate the tomb. The Turkish convoy of 572 troops in 39 tanks and 57 armoured vehicles transited through Kurdish-held city of Kobanî ''en route'' to the tomb. One Turkish soldier was killed in what
government of Turkey The Government of Turkey () is the Central government, national government of Turkey. It is governed as a unitary state under a presidential system, presidential representative democracy and a Constitution of Turkey, constitutional republic wit ...
described as an accident. The success of the operation was announced 22 February by Turkish Prime Minister
Ahmet Davutoğlu Ahmet Davutoğlu (; born 26 February 1959) is a Turkish academic, politician and former diplomat who served as the List of Prime Ministers of Turkey, 26th Prime Minister of Turkey and Leader of the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Justice ...
. Rising anti-American sentiment in Turkey has occurred since the start of the Turkish invasion of northern Syria in January 2018 aimed at ousting Syrian Kurdish forces from the enclave of Afrin. A poll conducted in Turkey during the operation revealed that 90 percent of respondents believed that the United States is "behind" the Kurdish PKK and YPG. After the start of the Turkish invasion, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis stated that "Turkey is a NATO ally. It's the only NATO country with an active insurgency inside its borders. And Turkey has legitimate security concerns." Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag urged the United States to halt its support for Kurdish YPG fighters, saying: "Those who support the terrorist organization will become a target in this battle." On 30 April 2023, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
announced that the Turkish National Intelligence Organization had allegedly tracked down and killed ISIS leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi on 29 April. Turkish media reported that the operation occurred at
Jindires Jindires (; or ) is a town in northern Syria in the Afrin District of the Aleppo Governorate. It is located on the Afrin River, northwest by road from Aleppo and southwest of Afrin, Syria, Afrin. Nearby localities include Deir Ballut and Bayadah ...
, in which Abu al-Hussein detonated his suicide vest to avoid being captured. However, the United States could not verify claims by Turkey that its forces killed Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi. {{citation needed span, text=In August ISIS said Quraishi was killed during clashes with the Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), whom it accused to be agents of Turkish intelligence., date=September 2023 The United States believes the HTS is behind the killing despite the latter's denials.


Northern Syria Buffer Zone

{{Main, Northern Syria Buffer Zone On 15 January 2019, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he agreed with setting up a {{convert, 35, km, mi, abbr=on "safe zone" in northern Syria, after engaging with US President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
a few days prior. On 7 August 2019, after months of negotiations, Turkey and the US reached a deal to create a {{convert, 115, km, abbr=on buffer zone in northern Syria along the Syria–Turkey border between the
Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...
and
Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...
rivers. Separate from Turkey's own occupation zone in northern Syria, the deal was reached partly to prevent a potential future Turkish ground incursion into Rojava against US-backed Kurdish forces. Under the framework of the deal, the US and Turkey conducted joint troop patrols, and Turkish reconnaissance aircraft would be allowed to monitor the zone. Kurdish YPG and YPJ forces along the Turkish border dismantled their border fortifications, withdrew to a "security belt" alongside regular SDF forces, and removed all heavy weapons from the area. In turn, Turkey was not to conduct airstrikes or establish military observation posts in northern Syria, and was not to "occupy" the region, as administrative and civil rule was to be relegated to SDF military councils and the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. According to the SDF, the majority of the zone was not to include any cities or towns. The buffer zone agreement was proven to be short-lived and collapsed on 7 October, after US President Donald Trump gave his approval for a Turkish ground offensive into Rojava, and ordered the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria. The agreement was rendered fully obsolete on 9 October, when Turkey launched a ground incursion into Rojava. In response to the offensive, US Senator
Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A membe ...
warned that he would "introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if they invade Syria." He said he would also "call for their suspension from
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
if they attack Kurdish forces who assisted the US in the destruction of the ISIS Caliphate."


Reports of civilian casualties and war crimes

On 29 September 2014, several groups including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Aleppo Media Center, and the Local Coordination Committees reported that US strikes hit a grain silo in the ISIL-controlled town of Manbij in northern Syria, killing two civilians. The SOHR reported ten airstrikes, also targeting various parts of the province of Idlib, killed at least one child and six other civilians. The group said at least 19 civilians had been killed in coalition airstrikes at that time. The Pentagon reported it had no evidence of any civilian casualties from airstrikes targeting militants in Syria. The United States has also acknowledged that its rules to avoid civilian casualties are looser in Syria than those for drone strikes elsewhere. The SOHR and other activist groups reported that seven civilians were killed when an air strike hit a gas distribution facility near the town of al-Khasham is the eastern Deir al-Zor province on 17 October 2014 and three civilians were killed in an air strike on 16 October 2014 in the north east province of al-Hassakah. According to their reports, most of the civilians killed were fuel tanker drivers. According to
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
, 50 civilians were killed in Syria by US-led airstrikes, from the start of the campaign in late September 2014 to mid-November. On 28 December 2014, a US airstrike in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab killed more than 50 civilians. On 21 May 2015, the United States admitted it "probably" killed two children in bombings near
Harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...
on 4 and 5 November 2014. These are the first such admissions of the campaign, and followed a military investigation. A similar investigation regarding an event in Syria is underway, and two regarding events in Iraq. Two adult civilians were also minorly injured in the Harem strikes. The deaths and injuries are attributed by the military investigation to unintentional secondary explosions, after the bombers hit their intended targets, linked to the Khorasan. On 19 July 2016 a coalition led airstrike on the ISIL controlled villages of Tokhar and Hoshariyeh reportedly killed at least 56 civilians, including 11 children. On 3 August 2016, dozens of civilians were killed after an airstrike in al-Qa'im, some sources claiming that 30 were killed. Airwars, which "maintains an extensive database of all known allegations in which civilians and friendly forces have been reported killed by the Coalition since August 2014", reports between 503 and 700 civilians were killed by Coalition airstrikes in Syria as of April 2016. At least 33 people were killed in a US-led coalition airstrike on a school near Raqqa in March 2017. On 16 March 2017, a US airstrike in rebel-held Aleppo killed at least 46 people and wounded more than 100 after warplanes hit a
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
. According to a report by
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
, the US-led Coalition has provided falsified data to conceal the actual number of civilian deaths resulting from their bombing campaigns and is "deeply in denial" about civilian casualties in Raqqa. After an investigation by Amnesty International in June 2018, the US-led Coalition confirmed that "coalition air strikes killed 70 civilians, mostly women and children—including 39 members of a single family." According to Airwars, the strikes of US-led coalition killed as many as 6,000 civilians in Syria and Iraq in 2017. On 2 May 2018, Britain's Ministry of Defense admitted for the first time that a civilian was "unintentionally" killed in an anti-ISIL drone strike on 26 March 2018. According to the MoD, the civilian was on a motorbike and entered the target area at the last minute. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said the incident was "deeply regrettable". On 18 March 2019, during the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani, a US special operations-led airstrike killed up to 80 people, including 64 civilians, almost exclusively women and children, and 18 ISIL militants, according to ''The New York Times''. The site of the strike was bulldozed and the incident was covered up by the US military until a ''New York Times'' report exposed the cover-up in November 2021. A US military investigation in May 2022 concluded that the airstrike killed 52 ISIL fighters and 4 civilians and did not violate the laws of war.{{cite news , last1=Gritten , first1=David , title=US military probe finds no wrongdoing in deadly Syria air strike , url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61492436.amp , access-date=14 November 2021 , work=BBC , date=18 May 2022 , language=en On 25 April 2019 a joint investigation by
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
and '' Airwars'' of over 200 strike sites reported that anti-ISIL Coalition bombing during the 2017 Battle of Raqqa had killed 1,600 civilians alone. CJTF-OIR reported the month prior that its 4-year operations over both Iraq and Syria amounted to 1,257 civilian casualties overall. "Coalition forces razed Raqqa...Amnesty International and Airwars call upon the Coalition forces to end their denial about the shocking scale of civilian deaths and destruction caused by their offensive in Raqqa," the investigators said in a joint statement. The Coalition responded that they "continue to employ thorough and deliberate targeting and strike processes to minimize the impact of our operations on civilian populations and infrastructure." By August 2023, ''Airwars'' estimated 8,198–13,258 civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria due to Coalition airstrikes, including 1,725–2,367 children, 1,120-1,460 women, and 3,722 named victims. The Coalition's own estimate of civilian deaths was 1,417. Coalition airstrikes also wounded between 5,883 and 9,111 civilians.


Results

The US-led air campaign inflicted heavy losses on the Islamic State and, alongside special forces operations, artillery strikes, and material and intelligence support to the SDF, catalyzed the loss of the bulk of ISIL's Syrian territory. By late 2015, coalition planes were dropping or launching an average of 67 bombs or missiles a day. According to CJTF-OIR, by May 2016, ISIL had lost 25 percent of the territory it possessed in Syria since the campaign began, mostly due to advances by YPG/SDF forces with heavy Coalition air support. By the end of 2016 the US-led air campaign against ISIL in both Iraq and Syria was estimated by the Pentagon to have struck 32,000 targets (including 164 tanks, 400 Humvees, and 2,638 pieces of oil infrastructure) and killed 50,000 militants, with approximately 1/3 of the losses taking place in Syria. By August 2017, CJTF-OIR had flown 168,000 sorties in both Syria and Iraq (mostly against ISIL). By December 2017, the Pentagon increased the estimate to 80,000 ISIL fighters killed by coalition airstrikes between Iraq and Syria. By the end of 2018, the SDF, assisted by the coalition, had liberated over 20,000 square kilometers of territory, and three million Syrian civilians from the Islamic State. By 23 March 2019, the day of ISIL's territorial collapse in Syria, CJTF-OIR and partner forces had liberated nearly {{Convert, 110000, km2 from the Islamic State; as a result, 7.7 million people no longer lived under ISIL's "caliphate". The
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
estimated in August 2020 that over 10,000 ISIL insurgents remained in Syria and
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
.


Reactions


Domestic US approval

The intervention was initially conducted with strong domestic US support; according to Gallup polling in 2014, 61% of Americans supported intervention against ISIL in both Iraq and Syria, while 30% were opposed, and 9% undecided. A larger CCGA poll taken in 2016 showed that 72% of Americans supported "conducting airstrikes against violent Islamic extremist groups in Syria", while 58% also supported "sending special operations forces into Syria to fight violent Islamic extremist groups." Additionally, a slim majority (52%) supported "enforcing a no-fly zone over parts of Syria, including bombing Syrian air defenses." However, only 26% supported "sending arms and other supplies to anti-government rebel groups in Syria." A CNN poll conducted between 17 and 20 October 2019 (during a withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria amid a Turkish offensive there) showed that 75% of Americans were generally concerned about the situation in Syria, with 43% saying they were "very concerned". 51% thought the US had a responsibility to remain involved in the Syrian conflict (seven months after ISIL's final Syrian settlement had fallen), while 43% did not.


Syrian reactions

* {{flag, Syria, 1980 – In 2014, a week before the first airstrikes, Ali Haidar, the Syrian Minister of National Reconciliation, said that "any action of any kind without the consent of the Syrian government would be an attack on Syria". However, despite Haidar's original statement, after the coalition campaign began, the Syrian government struck a more conciliatory tone with Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem suggesting the airstrikes were an indication that Syria and the anti-ISIL coalition were on the same side. Among the general Syrian population, a July 2015 poll by ORB International surveying 1,365 adults in all of Syria's 14 governorates found that 47% supported US-led airstrikes on ISIL while 50% opposed them. Opposition to American airstrikes was strongest in ISIL-held territory, where 92% were opposed; support was strongest in YPG-held territory and government-held territory, where 87% and 55% respectively supported American strikes on ISIL. * {{flagicon, Syrian National Coalition Syrian opposition – Hadi Bahra, the leader of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces called for airstrikes against ISIL before the intervention began. The coalition is recognized by 20 countries, the European Union, and the Arab league as the legitimate representative of Syria in opposition to the Assad government. Bahra said strikes were needed to weaken ISIL, a faction in the inter-rebel conflict during the Syrian civil war, so that the Free Syrian Army and other moderate opposition forces could oppose Assad more effectively. Despite Bahra's support, many Syrian rebel groups have criticized US airstrikes for targeting only ISIL who are enemies of the Assad government, while not also targeting Assad government forces, the results of which could help government forces gain more ground. Meanwhile, jihadist groups within the opposition have portrayed the coalition as an anti-Sunni stooge of the Syrian regime, while many Sunnis in Syria are angered that only extremist Sunnis are being targeted while mostly Shiite Assad forces are not targeted. Some rebels defected to extremist groups as a result of the US decision to strike jihadist groups other than ISIL, such as the al-Nusra Front.


International reactions

In a Pew poll taken in 2015, a median of 62% of people across the nations polled said they support American military efforts against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, while a median of 24% were opposed. Among those in support were 78% of Lebanese, 77% of Jordanians, 48% of Turks, 53% of Palestinians, and 84% of Israelis, as well as 81% of French, 66% of British, and 62% of Germans. * {{flagu, Australia – Tony Abbott, the
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
, praised the intervention, saying that an international effort was needed in order to combat the ISIL threat. Despite Abbott's support for the intervention, the Australian Government said it is not likely to contribute forces to operations in Syria. * {{flagu, Canada – Stephen Harper, the
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
, said in October 2014 Canada would strike ISIL targets in Syria if the Assad government gave approval. New Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called President Obama almost immediately after coming into office to inform him that Canada will be ceasing air operations in coordination with Americans. Trudeau did not give a time frame. * {{flagu, Czech Republic – Lubomír Zaorálek, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic supported the intervention against the Islamic State and said that it is important to keep supporting the ground forces in the battle against ISIS and the Czech Republic will keep providing military support to the Iraqi army and to the Kurdish Peshmerga. He also noted that air strikes would not defeat Islamic State. The Czech government said that ISIS is enemy not only for safety in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
, but also for security and stability in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
and
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. * {{flagu, Ecuador – The Ecuadorian government opposed the airstrikes in Syria without the consent of the Syrian government. * {{flagu, Egypt – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed his government's support for the international campaign against ISIL, and a spokesperson for the Egyptian foreign ministry echoed his statements by reiterating the Egyptian government's willingness to back the war against ISIL. * {{flagu, Germany – German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier questioned whether President Obama's plan was adequate in order to combat ISIL and said Germany had not been asked to participate in airstrikes nor would it participate if asked. * {{flagu, Iran – Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani (; born Hassan Fereydoun, 12 November 1948) is an Iranian peoples, Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. He is also a sharia lawyer ("Wakil"), academic, former diplomat and Islamic cl ...
condemned ISIL's actions but also called the airstrikes in Syria "illegal" because they were conducted without the consent of the Syrian government. Iran's deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was reported in Iranian media as saying that Iran had warned the United States that
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
would be at risk should the US and its allies seek to topple Syrian president Bashar al-Assad while fighting ISIL in Syria. * {{flagu, Israel – Israeli
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel fully supported the US government's calls for united action against ISIL. * {{flagu, Japan – A spokesperson for the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Japanese government would continue to closely coordinate with the United States and other countries, along with offering support and cooperation in their strikes against ISIL. * {{flagu, Netherlands – Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, showed understanding for the intervention against ISIL in Syria and said that his government was exploring options to contribute in the fight against ISIL. * {{flagu, Russia – Alexander Lukashevich, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, opposed the military intervention "without the consent of the legitimate government" and said that "this step, in the absence of a UN Security Council decision, would be an act of aggression, a gross violation of international law". On 14 October, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov questioned the motives of the intervention, saying "Maybe their stated goal is not entirely sincere? Maybe it is regime change?" He also questioned the effectiveness of the year long campaign "With, as far as I know, 25,000 sorties they S-led air campaigncould have smashed the entire ountry ofSyria into smithereens," continuing to remark that "positive results 'on the ground' are not visible". He also criticized the continued supply of arms to rebels, saying "I want to be honest, we barely have any doubt that at least a considerable part of these weapons will fall into the terrorists' hands." He continued to call for the countries involved to join a coalition made up of Russian, Syrian, Iranian, Iraqi, Jordanian and Hezbollah forces against what Russia claims is solely ISIL and al Qaeda, but the US has asserted is primarily non-jihadist opposition forces. : Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian President Vladimir Putin, described the US air strikes on the Shayrat airbase as "an act of aggression against a sovereign state delivered in violation of international law under a far-fetched pretext.... a serious blow to Russian-US relations, which are already in a poor state". : Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov referred to the Sharyat attack as "an act of aggression under a completely invented pretext". He compared events in April 2017 to "the situation of 2003, when the USA, the UK and several of their allies invaded Iraq without the UN Security Council's approval—a grave violation of international law—but at that point they at least tried to show some material evidence." * {{flagu, Turkey – The Davutoglu Government called on the
Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...
to approve measures that would grant extensive authority to the President to launch military operations in both Syria and Iraq, including the authority to send troops across the border, although it is unclear whether the Turkish leadership intends to act on that authority. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged the establishment of a no-fly zone by coalition forces in northern Syria. * {{flagu, United Kingdom – A spokesperson for British Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK would not rule out airstrikes in Syria against ISIL. On 26 September 2014 Parliament voted 524 to 43 to approve action inside Iraq. While visiting
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
in mid October, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he saw no immediate demand from US and Arab militaries for Britain to extend its airstrikes to Syria. British Defense Minister Michael Fallon said on 21 October that British Reaper drones and Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft would be starting intelligence-gathering missions in Syria "very shortly." * {{flagu, United States – In November 2019, President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
ordered US troops to secure the oil fields in eastern Syria, then said any remaining US troops in Syria were there "only for the oil", and that the US was "keeping the oil".{{cite news , last1=Baldor , first1=Lolita , title=Trump OKs wider Syria oil mission, raising legal questions , url=https://apnews.com/251062e322ab4bba99251fe59c90540a , work=
AP News The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are distributed to its members, maj ...
, date=6 November 2019
{{cite news , last1=Tharoor , first1=Ishaan , title=Trump's perplexing insistence on 'keeping' Middle Eastern oil , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/11/15/trumps-perplexing-insistence-keeping-middle-eastern-oil/ , access-date=14 June 2020 , newspaper=
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
, date=15 November 2019
* {{flagu, United Nations – Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, welcomed the airstrikes against militants in Syria, but noted that the involved parties "must abide by international humanitarian law and take all precautions to avoid and minimize civilian casualties". * {{flag, Venezuela – At the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations, President Nicolas Maduro said "It's President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government which have stopped the terrorists" and continued by saying "Instead of bombing and bombing, we must make an alliance for peace".


See also

* Foreign interventions by the United States * Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant * American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021) * Siege of Kobanî * Military of ISIL * Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war * Opposition–ISIL conflict during the Syrian Civil War * Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) * 2015 Egyptian military intervention in Libya * List of wars and battles involving ISIL * Syria–United States relations * Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War * Timeline of the Syrian Civil War (August 2014–present) * List of United States attacks on the Syrian government during the Syrian Civil War * List of United States special forces raids during the Syrian Civil War * James Franklin Jeffrey


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BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
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{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49956698, title=Trump makes way for Turkey operation against Kurds in Syria, date=7 October 2019, work=BBC {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43606899, title=UK soldier killed in Syria named, date=31 March 2018, work=BBC News {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29660029 , title=Islamic State 'training pilots to fly fighter jets', work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, date=17 October 2014, access-date=22 October 2014
{{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50200339, title=Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: IS leader 'killed in US operation' in Syria, website=BBC News, date=27 October 2019 {{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34372892, title=IS conflict: France launches air strikes in Syria, publisher=BBC, date=27 September 2015, access-date=27 September 2015 {{cite news, title=Syria conflict: German MPs vote for anti-IS military mission, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35002733, access-date=29 May 2016 , publisher=BBC, date=4 December 2015 Nabih Bulos
US-trained Division 30 rebels 'betray US and hand weapons over to al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria'
Telegraph, 22 September 2015
{{cite news, url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/us-airdrops-weapons-to-kobane-turkey-to-allow-kurdish-peshmerga-into-town/, title=US Airdrops Weapons to Kobanî, Turkey to Allow Kurdish Peshmerga Into Town, date=20 October 2014, access-date=20 October 2014, work= Vice News, last=Beck, first=John {{cite news, url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2604d6bcf901452ab74000f2e769e54e/syrian-opposition-chief-urges-airstrikes-syria, title=Syrian Opposition Chief Urges Airstrikes in Syria, first=Zeina, last=Karam, author-link=Zeina Karam, quote=We must begin airstrikes in Syria — immediately as we speak. Time is of essence to avert catastrophe, date=22 September 2014, access-date=4 October 2014, agency=Associated Press, archive-date=27 December 2014, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227100018/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2604d6bcf901452ab74000f2e769e54e/syrian-opposition-chief-urges-airstrikes-syria, url-status=dead {{cite news, url=http://www.businessinsider.com/syrian-foreign-minister-the-us-said-we-are-not-after-the-syrian-army-before-airstrikes-2014-9, agency=
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, title=Syrian Foreign Minister: The US Said 'We Are Not After The Syrian Army' Before Airstrikes, date=30 September 2014, access-date=3 October 2014, work= Business Insider, last=Karam, first=Zeina
{{cite web, url=http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/id935, title=Key al-Qaeda figure Muhsin al-Fadhli killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria – Pentagon, publisher= BNO News, access-date=21 July 2015, archive-date=25 December 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225121444/http://bnonews.com/news/index.php/news/id935, url-status=dead {{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/13/world/meast/isis-haines-family-message/, title=ISIS executes British aid worker David Haines; Cameron vows justice, access-date=26 December 2014, date=14 September 2014, publisher=CNN, last=Botelho, first=Greg {{cite news, url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/30754/army-national-guard-bradley-fighting-vehicles-are-in-syria-guarding-oil-and-gas-fields, title=Army National Guard Bradley Fighting Vehicles Are Now In Syria Guarding Oil And Gas Fields, work=The Drive, date=31 October 2019 {{cite news, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/war-words-between-al-qaeda-isis-continues-scholars-smackdown-n253676 , title=War of Words Between al Qaeda and ISIS Continues With Scholar's Smackdown, first=Mike, last=Brunker, work=
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
, date=21 November 2014, access-date=22 December 2014
{{cite news , url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-coalition-airstrikes-isis-syria-allegedly-kill-civilians-manbij/ , title=Dozens of civilians killed in alleged U.S. coalition strikes in Syria , work= CBS News , date=19 July 2016 , agency=
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, access-date=19 July 2016
{{cite web , url=http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/article-template-standard.page?doc=airstrike-operations-cease-in-iraq-and-syria/ikja37wa, title=Airstrike operations cease in Iraq and Syria, date=18 February 2016, publisher=Government of Canada {{cite news, last1=Carter, first1=Chelsea J., last2=Starr, first2=Barbara, title=Obama: ISIS threat against U.S., allies 'doesn't frighten us', url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/18/world/meast/isis-threat/, date=19 September 2014, access-date=23 September 2014, publisher=CNN {{cite news, work=CBS News, url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/about-200-u-s-peacekeepers-are-to-remain-in-syria/, title=About 200 U.S. peacekeepers are to remain in Syria, date=21 February 2019 {{cite web, url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-troops-reportedly-killed-syria-suicide-attack-isis-today-2019-01-16/, title=U.S. troops killed in Syria suicide attack claimed by ISIS, website=cbsnews.com, date=16 January 2019 {{cite news, url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/russia-in-syria-russian-troops-fill-void-left-by-trumps-troop-withdrawal-in-northern-syria/, title=Russian troops rush to fill void left by U.S. troops in northern Syria, date=15 October 2019, access-date=19 October 2019, work=CBS News Chammal : Point de situation au 10 septembre
''Ministère de la Défense'', 21 September 2015.
{{cite news, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/21/middleeast/syria-iraq-isis-fight/, title=Canada to pull out of bombing campaign against ISIS, first=Jethro, last=Mullen , date=21 October 2015, work=CNN, access-date=28 November 2015 Barbara Starr
"Military: 50,000 ISIS fighters killed"
CNN. 9 December 2016.
{{cite news, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/05/politics/isis-biden-erdogan-apology/, title=Vice President Joe Biden apologises to Turkey, UAE, last1=Carter, first1=Chelsea J., last2=Brumfield, first2=Ben, last3=Mazloumsaki, first3=Sara, publisher=CNN, date=6 October 2014 {{cite news, url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/16/politics/us-airstrike-storage-site-syria/index.html, title=US conducts airstrike on weapons storage site as troops pull out of Syria, date=16 October 2019, access-date=19 October 2019, work=CNN {{cite news, work= CNN, url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/23/politics/us-syria-troops-protection/index.html, title=US sends additional troops to Syria to prepare for withdrawal, date=24 January 2018 {{cite web, url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/17/isis-claimed-attack-on-americans-in-syria-renews-criticism-of-trump.html, title=ISIS-claimed attack on Americans in Syria renews criticism of Trump, first=Natasha, last=Turak, date=17 January 2019, website=cnbc.com {{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/16/politics/boots-on-the-ground-semantics/, title=When are troops 'advisers' and when are they 'boots on the ground'?, publisher=CNN, date=16 September 2014, access-date=12 October 2014, last=Diamond, first=Jeremy {{cite news, title=Trudeau to Obama: Canada to pull out of bombing campaign against ISIS, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/21/middleeast/syria-iraq-isis-fight/, access-date=19 November 2015, work=CNN, date=21 October 2015 {{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/20/world/meast/isis-airstrikes/, title=U.S. airdrops weapons, medical supplies to fighters in Kobani, publisher=CNN, date=20 October 2014, access-date=20 October 2014, last=Walker, first=Brian {{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/22/world/meast/u-s-airstrikes-isis-syria/ , title = US airstrikes hit ISIS inside Syria for first time , first1=Jim , last1=Sciutto , last2=Castillo, first2=Mariano, last3=Yan , first3=Holly , publisher=CNN, date=22 September 2014 , access-date=22 September 2014 {{cite web, url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=145123, title=In one month, International Coalition limits its control to oil fields, and Russia becomes a new player in northern and northeastern Syria, work=SOHR, date=25 October 2019, access-date=25 October 2019 {{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/30/world/middleeast/us-troops-syria-trump.html, title=Hundreds of U.S. Troops Leaving, and Also Arriving in, Syria, work=The New York Times, date=30 October 2019, access-date=4 November 2019 {{cite web, url=http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/962767/statement-by-pentagon-press-secretary-peter-cook-on-strike-against-al-qaida-lea, title=Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on Strike against al-Qaida Leader, work=US Department of Defense, date=3 October 2016 {{cite news, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/14/politics/u-s-confirms-death-of-isis-operative-omar-al-shishani/index.html, publisher=CNN, title=U.S. confirms death of ISIS operative Omar al-Shishani, date=14 March 2016 , access-date=14 March 2016 {{cite web, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/09/us-to-axe-5-scheme-train-syrian-rebels-nyt, title=US axes $500m scheme to train Syrian rebels, says NYT , work=The Guardian, access-date=13 October 2015, date=9 October 2015 {{cite news, last1=Malone, first1=Paul, title=Save us from the Dr Strangeloves, access-date=21 September 2016, url=https://www.smh.com.au/comment/save-us-from-todays-dr-strangeloves-20160707-gq0d74.html, work=Canberra Times, date=10 July 2016 {{cite news, title=U.S. Troops 18 Miles from ISIS Capital, url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/05/26/u-s-troops-18-miles-from-isis-capital.html, date=27 May 2016, access-date=27 May 2016, work=The Daily Beast {{cite web, url=http://www.wbaltv.com/article/us-deepening-involvement-in-war-against-isis/9172047, title=US deepening involvement in Syria's war against ISIS, date=23 March 2017 {{cite news, title=US Intel Aircraft to Remain Over Syria As Ground Forces Pull Out, url=https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2019/10/us-intel-aircraft-remain-over-syria-ground-forces-pull-out/160707/?oref=d-river, work=Defense One, date=18 October 2019, access-date=19 October 2019 {{cite news , url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/Videos/?videoid=604284&dvpcc=false , publisher=
United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
, title=441st Air Expeditionary Squadron Civil Engineer Runway Repair , access-date=8 June 2018
{{cite news, url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123464, title=One Airdrop to Kurds Fighting in Kobani Intercepted, publisher=
United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
, date=22 October 2014, access-date=22 October 2014
{{cite web, url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/2000-radical-rebels-defect-isis-following-intra-rebel-deal/, title=Over 2,000 radical rebels defect to ISIS following intra-rebel deal, first=Izat, last=Charkatli, date=23 February 2017, publisher=al-Masdar, access-date=24 February 2017, archive-date=28 May 2019, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528115241/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/2000-radical-rebels-defect-isis-following-intra-rebel-deal/, url-status=dead {{cite web, url=http://www.businessinsider.com/report-a-former-physics-teacher-is-now-leading-isis-2015-4, title=Report: A former physics teacher is now leading ISIS – Business Insider, date=23 April 2015, work=Business Insider {{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/10/politics/kohrasan-group-bomb-maker-survived/ , title=Officials: Khorasan Group bomb maker thought dead survived , first1=Barbara, last1=Starr, last2=Cruickshank, first2=Paul , publisher=CNN, date=10 December 2014, access-date=22 December 2014 {{cite web, url=https://news.yahoo.com/french-jihadist-drugeon-likely-killed-syria-us-official-171715572.html, title=French jihadist Drugeon killed in Syria: US official, publisher=AFP, date=11 September 2015, access-date=11 September 2015 {{cite news, url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Oct-13/273941-britain-sees-no-early-demand-from-us-for-air-strikes-in-syria.ashx, title=Britain sees no early demand from U.S. for air strikes in Syria, date=13 October 2014, access-date=13 October 2014, newspaper= The Daily Star, last=Coles, first=Isabel, agency =
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
{{cite news, url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Sep-23/271703-un-chief-welcomes-airstrikes-in-syria.ashx, title=UN chief welcomes airstrikes in Syria, date=23 September 2014, access-date=23 September 2014, newspaper= Daily Star, agency=
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, archive-date=28 September 2014, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140928084443/http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Sep-23/271703-un-chief-welcomes-airstrikes-in-syria.ashx, url-status=dead
{{cite news, url=http://www.dvhn.nl/nieuws/nederland/rutte-begrip-voor-bombardement-syrie-11706183.html, title=Rutte: begrip voor bombardement Syrië (Dutch), work= Dagblad van het Noorden, date=23 September 2014, access-date=23 September 2014, language=nl {{cite news, url=http://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/onu-ricardo-patino-julian-assange.html, title=Cancillería ecuatoriana califica como 'inaceptable' la ofensiva contra Siria, date=25 September 2014, access-date=25 September 2014, language=es, newspaper= El Comercio {{cite news, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/06/world/meast/syria-crisis/index.html, title=Report: Airstrikes target another Islamist group in Syria, publisher=CNN, date=6 November 2014, access-date=6 November 2014, last1=Paton Walsh, first1=Nick, last2=Smith-Spark, first2=Laura {{cite news, url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/turkey-to-help-train-equip-moderate-syrian-rebels-u-s-officials-say-1412970068, title=Turkey to Help Train and Equip Moderate Syrian Rebels, date=10 October 2014, access-date=12 October 2014, newspaper=
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
, last1=Schwartz, first1=Felicia, last2=Entous, first2=Adam, last3=Albayrak, first3=Ayla
The international coalition to counter ISIL/Da'esh (the 'Islamic State')
17 March 2015.
{{cite news, url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-led-airstrikes-hit-four-syrian-provinces-activists-claim-civilians-killed/, title=US-led airstrikes hit four Syrian provinces, activists claim civilians killed, publisher=
Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...
, date=29 September 2014, access-date=30 September 2014, agency =
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
{{cite news, url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/for-obama-enforcing-no-fly-zone-in-syria-would-mean-war-or-cooperation-with-assad-government/, agency=
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, title=For Obama, enforcing no-fly zone in Syria would mean war or cooperation with Assad government, date=11 October 2014, access-date=15 October 2014, publisher= Fox News Channel
{{cite news, url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/fighter-jets-destroy-coalition-base-syria-turkey, work=Fox News, date=16 October 2019, access-date=19 October 2019, title=US jets destroy anti-ISIS coalition base in Syria after withdrawal, official says {{cite news , title=Joe Biden Is the Only Honest Man in Washington , url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/10/07/joe-biden-is-the-only-honest-man-in-washington/ , work=
Foreign Policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
, date=7 October 2014
{{cite web, url=https://franceintheus.org/spip.php?article5887, title=International Conference on Iraq in Paris (09/15/14), website=France in the United States / Embassy of France in Washington, D.C., access-date=1 September 2017 {{cite news, last1=Youssef , first1=Nancy A. , title=Syrian Rebels Describe U.S.-Backed Training in Qatar , url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/syrian-rebels-describe-u-s-backed-training-in-qatar/ , access-date=20 September 2014 , publisher= PBSFrontline , date=26 May 2014 , archive-date=25 August 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825232009/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/foreign-affairs-defense/syria-arming-the-rebels/syrian-rebels-describe-u-s-backed-training-in-qatar/ , url-status=live Gallup Polling.
24 April 2018.
{{cite web, url=http://news.trust.org/item/20160908213024-skwoe/, title=Air strike kills top commander of former Nusra group in Syria, agency=Reuters, date=9 September 2016 {{cite news , url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/19/us-troops-syria-withdrawal-trump, title=Trump shocks allies and advisers with plan to pull US troops out of Syria, author1=Julian Borger, author-link1=Julian Borger, author2=Martin Chulov , newspaper=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
, access-date=20 December 2018 , date=20 December 2018, quote=Reuters quoted a US official as saying the troop pullout would take between 60 and 100 days.
{{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2014/sep/26/mps-debate-and-vote-on-air-strikes-against-islamic-state-politics-live-blog, title=UK parliament approves air strikes against Isis in Iraq – as it happened, date=26 September 2014, access-date=26 December 2014, newspaper=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
, last1=Sparrow, first1=Andrew, last2=Phipps, first2=Claire
{{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/11/iran-syria-israel-us-air-strikes-isis-assad, title=Iran warns of risk to Israel's security should US seek overthrow of Assad, date=11 October 2014, access-date=11 October 2014, newspaper=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
{{Cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/07/russia-airstrikes-syria-not-targetting-isis, title = 'More than 90%' of Russian airstrikes in Syria have not targeted Isis, US says, date=7 October 2015, access-date=14 October 2015, agency = Agence France-Presse, newspaper=
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
{{cite news, work=The Guardian, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/02/syria-raf-airstrike-kills-civilian-uk-campaign, title=Syria: RAF admits drone strike killed civilian in attack targeting Isis {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/25/us-officials-terror-group-khorasan-syria, title=US officials unclear on threat posed by obscure al-Qaida cell in Syria, date=25 September 2014, newspaper=The Guardian, access-date=6 October 2014, last=Ackerman, first=Spencer {{cite news , url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/27/weapons-flowing-eastern-europe-middle-east-revealed-arms-trade-syria , title=Revealed: the £1bn of weapons flowing from Europe to Middle East , author1=Ivan Angelovski , author2=Miranda Patrucic , author3=Lawrence Marzouk , newspaper=The Guardian , date=27 July 2016 , access-date=17 December 2016 US military to maintain open-ended presence in Syria, Tillerson says: US secretary of state says forces will remain in country in push against Isis, Bashar al-Assad and Iranian influence
The Guardian, 17 January 2018.
{{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/05/two-british-special-forces-soldiers-injured-by-isis-in-syria, title=Two British special forces soldiers injured by Isis in Syria, newspaper=The Guardian , date=6 January 2019, via=theguardian.com, last1=Greenfield , first1=Patrick {{Cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/28/visual-guide-to-the-raid-that-killed-isis-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi, title=Visual guide to the raid that killed Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, first1=Glenn, last1=Swann, first2=Finbarr, last2=Sheehy, first3=Cath, last3=Levett, first4=Matt, last4=Fidler, newspaper=The Guardian , date=31 October 2019, via=theguardian.com {{cite news , url=http://www.ibtimes.com/10-thunderbolt-saved-congress-joins-airstrikes-against-isis-syria-1693329 , title = The A-10 Thunderbolt, Saved By Congress, Joins Airstrikes Against ISIS In Syria, first=Christopher , last=Harress, work=
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...
, date=23 September 2014, access-date=11 October 2014
{{cite news , url=http://www.ibtimes.com/us-airstrikes-syria-against-isis-may-cost-much-10-billion-1694475 , title=US Airstrikes In Syria Against ISIS May Cost As Much As $10 Billion, first=Christopher, last=Harress, work=
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...
, date=24 September 2014, access-date=25 September 2014
{{cite news, url=https://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-us-syria-hostage-failed-rescue-mission-20140820-story.html, title=Rising danger prompted U.S. effort to rescue James Foley, other hostages, date=22 August 2014, access-date=19 September 2014, last1=Hennessey, first1=Kathleen, last2=Hennigan, first2=W.J., newspaper=
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
{{cite web, url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-us-forces-shoot-down-iranian-drone-over-1497972506-htmlstory.html, title=U.S. forces shoot down Iranian drone over Syria as fighting escalates, first=W. J., last=Hennigan, website=
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
, date=2 July 2017
{{Cite news, url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n01/seymour-m-hersh/military-to-military, title=Military to Military, last=Hersh, first=Seymour M., date=7 January 2016, work=London Review of Books, access-date=24 January 2019, pages=11–14, issn=0260-9592 {{cite journal, author-link=Seymour Hersh, last=Hersh, first=Seymour, url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n01/seymour-m-hersh/military-to-military, title=Military to Military, journal=
London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of Book ...
, volume=38, issue=1, date=7 January 2016, access-date=21 July 2017
{{cite news, url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/219195-pentagon-no-evidence-airstrikes-killed-civilians-in-syria/, title=Pentagon: No evidence airstrikes killed civilians, date=29 September 2014, access-date=1 October 2014, newspaper= The Hill, first=Kristina, last=Wong {{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/world/middleeast/syria-us-strikes-death-toll.html, title=At Least 500 Militants Killed in U.S.-Led Strikes in Syria, Observer Group Says, first=Ben, last=Hubbard, newspaper=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
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{{cite news, url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-will-protect-syrian-rebels-when-time-comes-envoy--79105 , title=US will 'protect' Syrian rebels when time comes: envoy , agency=AFP , date=22 February 2015 {{cite web , title=Pentagon chief praises Kurdish fighters in Syria, url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/pentagon-chief-praises-kurdish-fighters-in-syria.aspx?pageID=238&nID=96609&NewsCatID=352, work=Hurriyet Daily News, date=18 March 2016, access-date=13 June 2016 Turkey has legitimate security concerns: Mattis
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215083638/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-has-legitimate-security-concerns-mattis-126090 , date=15 February 2018 . ''
Hürriyet Daily News The ''Hürriyet Daily News'', formerly ''Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review'' and ''Turkish Daily News'', is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey, founded in 1961. The paper was bought by the Doğan Media Group in 2001 and ...
''. 22 January 2018.
{{cite news, url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/18/us-airstrike-isis-gas_n_6007780.html, title=U.S. Coalition Airstrike On ISIS Gas Station Kills 8 In Syria: Activists, work=Huffington Post, date=18 October 2014, access-date=18 October 2014, agency =
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
, last1=Becatoros, first1=Elena, last2=Hadid, first2=Dia
{{cite news, url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/03/harper-syria-airstrikes-isis-canada_n_5929436.html, title=Harper Says Canada Will Bomb ISIS In Syria If Murderous Despot Asks Him To, work= The Huffington Post, date=3 October 2014, access-date=3 October 2014, last=Bolen, first=Michael {{cite news, last1=Shankar, first1=Sneha, title=Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro Calls For 'Re-Founding' Of UN; Slams US-Led Airstrikes In Iraq And Syria, url=http://www.ibtimes.com/venezuelas-nicolas-maduro-calls-re-founding-un-slams-us-led-airstrikes-iraq-syria-1694699, access-date=5 October 2014, date=25 September 2014, work=
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...
{{cite web, url=https://www.inherentresolve.mil/Portals/14/Documents/Strike%20Releases/2019/03%20MAR/CJTF-OIR%20Press%20Release%2020190326-01-Strike%20Release.pdf?ver=2019-03-26-110227-217, title=CJTFOIR Strike Releases March 26 2019, access-date=26 March 2019, work=CJTF-OIR {{cite news, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-air-strikes-iran-says-us-attacks-on-isis-are-illegal-9751245.html , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923190322/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-air-strikes-iran-says-us-attacks-on-isis-are-illegal-9751245.html , archive-date=2014-09-23 , url-access=limited , url-status=live, title=Syria air strikes: Iran 'says US attacks on Isis are illegal', date=23 September 2014, access-date=11 October 2014, newspaper=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, last=Saul, first=Heather
{{cite web, title =An internal struggle: Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate is grappling with its identity, url=http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/markaz/posts/2015/05/31-syria-isis-lister, website=Brookings Institution, date=31 May 2015, access-date=1 June 2015 {{cite web, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/trump-syria-troop-withdrawal-us-sand-death-cabinet-meeting-military-a8709131.html , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103160929/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/trump-syria-troop-withdrawal-us-sand-death-cabinet-meeting-military-a8709131.html , archive-date=2019-01-03 , url-access=limited , url-status=live, title=Trump says Syria is 'sand and death' in defence of troop withdrawal, website=Independent, date=3 January 2019 {{cite news , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-turkey-and-saudi-arabia-shock-western-countries-by-supporting-antiassad-jihadists-10242747.html , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-turkey-and-saudi-arabia-shock-western-countries-by-supporting-antiassad-jihadists-10242747.html , archive-date=7 May 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live , title=Turkey and Saudi Arabia alarm the West by backing Islamist extremists the Americans had bombed in Syria , author=Kim Sengupta , newspaper=The Independent , date=12 May 2015{{cbignore {{cite news , title=Lindsey Graham turns on Trump over 'disaster' Syria move , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-syria-turkey-lindsey-graham-twitter-pomepo-isis-assad-iran-middle-east-a9146161.html , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007164347/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-syria-turkey-lindsey-graham-twitter-pomepo-isis-assad-iran-middle-east-a9146161.html , archive-date=2019-10-07 , url-access=limited , url-status=live , work=The Independent , date=7 October 2019 {{Cite web, url=http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/aerial-bombing-in-anbar-kills-civilians/, title=Aerial bombing in Anbar kills civilians – Iraqi News, date=3 August 2016 US-led coalition air strike in Syria kills more than 30 people in school near Isis-held Raqqa, says human rights watchdog
''The Independent''. 22 March 2017.
There was one series of strikes in 2016, intentionality disputed. {{cite news , url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/war-with-isis-islamic-militants-have-army-of-200000-claims-kurdish-leader-9863418.htm , archive-url=https://archive.today/20141227085830/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/war-with-isis-islamic-militants-have-army-of-200000-claims-kurdish-leader-9863418.htm , url-status = dead , archive-date=27 December 2014 , title=Islamic State has 200,000 fighters, claims Kurdish leader , first =Patrick, last=Cockburn, location =
Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...
,
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
, newspaper=
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
, date=16 November 2014 , access-date =22 December 2014
{{cite web, last1=Holliday , first1=Joseph , title=The Struggle for Syria in 2011 – An Operational and Regional Analysis , url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Struggle_For_Syria.pdf , publisher= Institute for the Study of War , access-date=20 September 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128073935/http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/Struggle_For_Syria.pdf , archive-date=28 January 2015 , date=December 2011 , url-status=dead {{cite web, url=https://english.iswnews.com/8288/americans-finally-left-aleppo-province/, title=Americans Finally Left Aleppo Province!, access-date=3 November 2019, website=Islamic World News, date=3 November 2019 {{cite news, url=http://www.ibtimes.com/obama-isis-speech-reaction-germany-turkey-wont-join-airstrikes-syria-uk-wont-rule-them-out-1685828, title=Obama ISIS Speech Reaction: Germany, Turkey Won't Join Airstrikes In Syria; UK Won't Rule Them Out, date=11 September 2014, access-date=12 October 2014, work=
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...
, last=Koplowitz, first=Howard
{{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/27/world/meast/isis-british-hostage-syria-kobani/index.html, title=Hostage in video claims Syrian city of Kobani is under ISIS control, first=Catherine, last=E Shoichet, publisher=CNN, date=27 October 2014, access-date=27 October 2014 {{cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/06/trump-syria-missiles-assad-chemical-weapons, title=Syria missile strikes: US launches first direct military action against Assad, first1=Spencer, last1=Ackerman, first2=Ed Pilkington Ben, last2=Jacobs, first3=Julian Borger in, last3=Washington, date=7 April 2017, access-date=1 September 2017, newspaper=The Guardian {{Cite news, url=http://www.ibtimes.com/northern-syria-coalition-airstrike-killed-least-50-civilians-december-report-1780248, title = Northern Syria Coalition Airstrike Killed At Least 50 Civilians In December: Report, last=Pandey, first=Avaneesh, date=12 January 2015, work=
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...
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{{cite news , url=http://www.janes.com/article/59374/us-arms-shipment-to-syrian-rebels-detailed , title=US arms shipment to Syrian rebels detailed , last1=Binnie, first1=Jeremy, last2=Gibson, first2=Neil, publisher=IHS , work=Jane's Defence Weekly , date=8 April 2016 , access-date=3 December 2016 {{cite news , url=http://www.janes.com/article/61038/is-seizes-saudi-weapons-from-syrian-rebels , title=IS seizes Saudi weapons from Syrian rebels , author=Jeremy Binnie , publisher=IHS , work=Jane's Defence Weekly , date=7 June 2016 , access-date=17 December 2016 {{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/marines-raqqa-assault-syria/index.html, title=US Marines join local forces fighting in Raqqa, first=Barbara , last=Starr , work=CNN {{cite news, url=https://news.yahoo.com/jordan-denies-jihadists-shot-down-warplane-131419028.html, title=Jordan pilot ejected over Syria after 'technical failure', work= Yahoo! News, date=26 December 2014, access-date=26 December 2014, agency= Agence France-Presse {{cite web, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-airstrikes-idUSKBN15I1YY, title=Air strikes kill 12 fighters in Syria's Idlib: monitor, work=Reuters, date=3 February 2017 {{cite web , publisher=Twitter , url=https://twitter.com/JustinFishelFNC/status/514468300718231552 , title = Partner Nations Contributions Summary , work=Justin Fishel, date=23 September 2014 , access-date=11 October 2014 {{cite news, last=O'Keefe, first=Ed, title=House approves Obama's Iraq-Syria military strategy amid skepticism, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress-poised-to-approve-obamas-iraq-syria-military-strategy-amid-skepticism/2014/09/17/c2494df2-3e85-11e4-b0ea-8141703bbf6f_story.html, newspaper=
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
, date=17 September 2014, access-date=23 September 2014
{{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/22/world/meast/al-qaeda-syria-khorasan/, title=Source: Al Qaeda group in Syria plotted attack against U.S. with explosive clothes, publisher=CNN, date=23 September 2014, access-date=23 September 2014, last1=Levis, first1=Josh, last2=Cruickshank, first2=Paul, last3=Lister, first3=Time {{Cite web, url=https://asiatimes.com/2017/01/syrias-idlib-groomed-islamist-killing-ground/, title=Is Syria's Idlib being groomed as Islamist killing ground?, first=Sami, last=Moubayed, date=29 January 2017, website=Asia Times {{cite web, url=http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/abu-yahia-al-hamawi-ahrar-al-shams-new-leader/, title=Abu Yahia al-Hamawi, Ahrar al-Sham's New Leader, publisher=Syria Comment, date=12 September 2015, access-date=17 September 2015 {{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/world/middleeast/syria-russia-airstrikes.html , title=U.S. Weaponry Is Turning Syria Into Proxy War With Russia, work=The New York Times, access-date=14 October 2015, date=12 October 2015 {{Cite web, url=https://syriadirect.org/search-for-the-dead-begins-in-idlib-after-islamic-state-linked-brigade-leaves-for-raqqa/, title=Search for the dead begins in Idlib after Islamic State-linked brigade leaves for Raqqa, date=22 February 2017 {{cite web, title=Syrian opposition merger in Jan 2017, url=https://syria.liveuamap.com/en/2017/26-january-syrian-opposition-factions-merging-approx-of-10000, publisher=archicivilians, access-date=26 January 2017 These Marines in Syria fired more artillery than any battalion since Vietnam.
Marines Corps Times. 6 February 2018.
{{cite news, url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/03/09/259128/us-bombs-nusra-headquarters-in.html, title=U.S. bombs Nusra headquarters in key city on Turkey-Syria border, date=9 March 2015, access-date=10 March 2015, agency=McClatchy DC {{cite news, url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.618048 , title = Khorasan leader killed by US air strike in Syria last week, Al-Qaida member tweets, first=William , last=Maclean, newspaper=
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
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{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-syria-rebels-insight-idUSKBN0HA0QX20140915, title=Syria's 'moderate' rebels say they need weapons, not training, date=15 September 2014, access-date=12 October 2014, last1=Szep, first1=Jason, location =
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
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Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
, editor-last=McBride, editor-first=Janet, last2=Stewart, first2=Phil, last3=Spetalnick, first3=Matt, work=
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
{{cite news, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/who-are-syrian-rebels-u-s-wants-arm-train-n207391, title=Who Are the Syrian Rebels the U.S. Wants to Arm and Train?, work=
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
, date=20 September 2014, access-date=12 October 2014, last1=Plesser, first1=Ben, last2=Cheikh Omar, first2=Ammar, last3=McClam, first3=Erin
{{cite news, url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-syria-news-iraqi-pilots-training-isis-fighters-fly-captured-planes-1470514 , title=ISIS Syria News: Iraqi Pilots 'Training Isis Fighters' to Fly Captured Planes, first=Gianluca, last=Mezzofiore , work=
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...
, date=17 October 2014 , access-date =22 October 2014
{{cite news, url=https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2019/11/04/artillery-fire-lands-near-us-troops-in-syria/, title=Artillery fire lands near American troops in Syria, date=4 November 2019, work=Military Times {{cite news, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/u-s-bombs-isis-sites-syria-targets-khorasan-group-n209421, title=U.S. Bombs ISIS Sites in Syria and Targets Khorasan Group, work=
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
, date=23 September 2014, access-date=26 September 2014, last1=Miklaszewski, first1=Jim, last2=Vinograd, first2=Cassandra
{{cite news, url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2019/10/16/what-it-means-for-us-bases-in-syria-to-be-occupied-by-syrian-and-russian-forces/, title=What it means for American bases in Syria to be occupied by Syrian and Russian forces, date=16 October 2019, access-date=19 October 2019, work=Military Times {{cite news, url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/469781-joint-chiefs-chair-less-than-1000-troops-will-remain-in-syria/, title=Joint chiefs chair: Fewer than 1,000 troops will remain in Syria, date=10 November 2019, work=The Hill {{cite news, url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/04/26/groups-say-airstrikes-by-us-led-coalition-killed-1600-civilians-in-raqqa/, date=25 April 2019, access-date=26 April 2019, title=Groups say airstrikes by US-led coalition killed 1,600 civilians in Raqqa, work=MilitaryTimes {{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-usa-iran-idUSKCN0HI2F220140923, title=Exclusive: U.S. told Iran of intent to strike Islamic State in Syria, work=Reuters, date=23 September 2014, access-date=23 September 2014, last1=Hafezi, first1=Parisa, last2=Charbonneau, first2=Louis, last3=Mohammed, first3=Arshad, editor-last=Goller, editor-first=Howard, location = United Nations, New York City {{cite web, url=http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2014/12/146456/moroccan-f-16-carry-out-airstrikes-against-isis/, title=Moroccan F-16 Carry Out Airstrikes Against ISIS, work=Morocco World News, date=10 December 2014 {{cite news , url=https://en.muraselon.com/2018/06/pictures-first-seen-ever-images-mini-us-airbase-syria-raqqa/ , publisher=Muraselon , title=Pictures: First Seen Ever Images Of Mini US Airbase In Syria's Al-Raqqa , date=7 June 2018 , quote=Nevertheless, opposition media said that the US airbase is located in “Sarrin” in the western countryside of Al-Raqqa. , archive-url=https://archive.today/20180609015201/https://en.muraselon.com/2018/06/pictures-first-seen-ever-images-mini-us-airbase-syria-raqqa/ , archive-date=9 June 2018 {{Cite book, chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5s7SCQAAQBAJ&q=roebuck%2C+overreact&pg=PT280, title=The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to US Empire, last=Naiman, first=Robert, date=15 September 2015, publisher=Verso Books – Random House, isbn=978-1-78168-944-8, language=en, chapter=Chapter 10 "Syria" {{cite news, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/u-s-arab-allies-strike-isis-syria-n209286 , title=US, Arab Allies Strike ISIS in Syria, first1=Jim, last1=Miklaszewski, last2=Kube , first2=Courtney, last3=Cheikh Omar, first3=Ammar, last4=Arkin, first4 = Daniel , work=
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Media Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's various operations r ...
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{{cite web, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-service-members-wounded-explosion-manbij-syria-n959231, title=4 Americans among those killed by explosion in Syria, website=NBC News, date=18 January 2019 {{cite news, work=NBC News, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-leave-about-200-troops-syria-white-house-says-n974356, title=U.S. to leave about 200 troops in Syria, White House says, date=21 February 2019 {{cite web, url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/01/08/U-S-led-forces-drop-nearly-5-000-bombs-on-ISIS-.html , title =US-led forces drop nearly 5,000 bombs on ISIS , work=Al Arabiya , date =8 January 2015 , access-date=8 January 2015 {{cite news, url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-prepares-for-surveillance-flights-over-syria-1409005925, title=U.S. Lays Groundwork for Syria Strike, date=25 August 2014, access-date=19 September 2014, last1=Entous, first1=Adam, last2=E. Barnes, first2=Julian, last3=Nissenbaum, first3=Dion, newspaper=
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
{{Cite news, url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/09/17/349075789/after-a-long-wait-syrian-rebels-hope-the-weapons-will-now-flow, title=After A Long Wait, Syrian Rebels Hope The Weapons Will Now Flow, date=17 September 2014, access-date=19 September 2014, last=Amos, first=Deborah, work= NPR {{cite news, url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/perspective/analysis/2015/03/24/Nusra-Front-quietly-rises-in-Syria-as-ISIS-targeted.html, title=Nusra Front quietly rises in Syria as ISIS targeted, work=Al Arabiya, date=24 March 2015, access-date=9 January 2016 {{cite news , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/us/politics/trump-syria-turkey-troop-withdrawal.html , title=Trump Withdraws U.S. Forces From Syria, Declaring 'We Have Won Against ISIS', author1=Mark Landler, author-link1=Mark Landler, author2=Helene Cooper , author-link2=Helene Cooper, author3=Eric Schmitt , author-link3=Eric P. Schmitt , newspaper=The New York Times, access-date=20 December 2018 , date=19 December 2018, quote=Defense Department officials said that Mr. Trump had ordered that the withdrawal be completed in 30 days. {{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/10/world/middleeast/pentagon-program-islamic-state-syria.html/, title=Obama Administration Ends Effort to Train Syrians to Combat ISIS, work=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
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{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/28/world/middleeast/army-know-how-seen-as-factor-in-isis-successes.html, title=Military Skill and Terrorist Technique Fuel Success of ISIS, date=27 August 2014, work=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
, access-date=21 October 2014
{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/100000003082541/footage-from-an-isis-drone.html, title=Footage From an ISIS Drone, newspaper=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
, date=30 August 2014, access-date=6 November 2014
{{Cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/world/middleeast/cia-syria-rebel-arm-train-trump.html, title=Behind the Sudden Death of a $1 Billion Secret C.I.A. War in Syria, first1=Mark , last1=Mazzetti , first2=Adam , last2=Goldman , first3=Michael S. , last3=Schmidt , date=2 August 2017, work=The New York Times, access-date=3 August 2017, language=en-US, issn=0362-4331 {{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/world/middleeast/reinforcements-enter-besieged-syrian-town-via-turkey-raising-hopes.html, title=Reinforcements Enter Besieged Syrian Town via Turkey, Raising Hopes, date=29 October 2014, access-date=29 October 2014, newspaper=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
, last=Barnard, first=Anne
{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/world/middleeast/khorasan-a-terror-cell-that-avoided-the-spotlight.html, title=A terror cell that avoided the spotlight, date=24 September 2014, access-date=6 October 2014, newspaper=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
, last=Mazzetti, first=Mark
{{cite news , last1=BAKER , first1=PETER , last2=COOPER , first2=HELENE , author-link1=Peter Baker (author) , author-link2=Helene Cooper , date=30 October 2015 , title=Obama Sends Special Operations Forces to Help Fight ISIS in Syria , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/world/obama-will-send-forces-to-syria-to-help-fight-the-islamic-state.html , newspaper=The New York Times , location=WASHINGTON , access-date=30 October 2015 {{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/24/world/middleeast/syria-warplanes-turkey.html, title=American Is Killed in First Casualty for U.S. Forces in Syria Combat, work=The New York Times, date=24 November 2016 {{Cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/us/politics/trump-mattis-defense-secretary-generals.html, title=Trump Says Mattis Resignation Was 'Essentially' a Firing, Escalating His New Front Against Military Critics, last=Haberman, first=Maggie, date=2 January 2019, work=The New York Times, access-date=15 October 2019, language=en-US, issn=0362-4331 {{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/world/middleeast/us-troops-syria-isis.html, title=U.S. Troops Leaving Syria, but Some May Stay Longer Than Expected, date=29 March 2019, access-date=30 March 2019, work=The New York Times {{cite web, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/world/middleeast/kurds-syria-turkey.html, title=In Syria, Russia Is Pleased to Fill an American Void, website=The New York Times, date=15 October 2019 {{Cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/08/27/world/europe/27reuters-syria-security-sdf.html, title=SDF and Kurdish YPG Forces to Pull From Turkey-Syria Border Strip: SDF, agency=Reuters, date=27 August 2019, work=The New York Times, access-date=27 August 2019, language=en-US, issn=0362-4331 {{cite news, work=Fox News, date=22 February 2019, url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-pushes-nato-allies-to-join-observer-force-in-syria, title=US pushes NATO allies to join observer force in Syria {{cite web, url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/top-isis-commander-omar-chechen-believed-dead-airstike/story?id=37641801, title=Official: Top ISIS Military Commander Believed Dead, work=ABC News, date=14 March 2016 {{cite news, title=U.S. Bases On Syrian Oilfields Receive New Equipment, url=https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/US-Bases-On-Syrian-Oilfields-Receive-New-Equipment.html, date=21 March 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/25/us-armored-vehicles-syria-oil-fields-057304, title=U.S. sending armored vehicles into Syria to protect oil fields, Pentagon chief confirms, date=25 October 2019, access-date=4 November 2019, work=Politico {{cite news, url=http://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/once-promised-paradise-isis-fighters-end-up-in-mass-graves, title=Once promised paradise, ISIS fighters end up in mass graves, work=The Straits Times, date=15 October 2017, access-date=11 December 2017 "ORB/IIACSS POLL IN IRAQ AND SYRIA GIVES RARE INSIGHT INTO PUBLIC OPINION."
ORB International July 2015
PDF link
(see table 2).
At least 20,000 civilians displaced during the Al-Hasakah offensive (February–March 2015); 5,000+ in the Khabur Valley regio

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009215828/http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/124095/World/Region/Kurdish-forces-capture-key-IS-Syria-bastion-Monito.aspx , date=9 October 2017 and 15,000+ in the Tal Hamis, Tell Hamis regio

/ref> {{cite news, url=http://www.salon.com/2014/08/26/ap_source_obama_backs_surveillance_over_syria/, title=AP source: Obama backs surveillance over Syria, work= Salon (website), Salon, date=25 August 2014, access-date=19 September 2014, last=Pace, first=Julie, agency =
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
{{cite news, url=http://www.ibtimes.com/turkey-shifts-stance-help-iraqi-kurds-join-fight-against-isis-syrias-kobani-1707723, title=Turkey Shifts Stance To Help Iraqi Kurds Join Fight Against ISIS In Syria's Kobani, date=20 October 2014, access-date=20 October 2014, work=
International Business Times The ''International Business Times'' is an American online newspaper that publishes five national editions in four languages. The publication, sometimes called ''IBTimes'' or ''IBT'', offers news, opinion and editorial commentary on business and ...
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{{cite news, url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-29/iraq-kurd-fighters-leave-base-for-syria-deployment/5849452, title=Islamic State: Kurdish Peshmerga troops leave Iraq to join battle in Kobane, publisher=
ABC News (Australia) ABC News, also known as ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The service covers both local and world affairs, broadcasting both nationally as ABC News, and across the Asia- ...
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{{Cite news, url=https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/27/islamic-statebaghdadi-dead-donald-trump-000300, title=ISIS leader killed in daring U.S. raid in Syria, Trump says, website=POLITICO {{cite news, last1=Abouzeid , first1=Rania , title=The Jihad Next Door – The roots of Iraq's newest civil war , url=http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/al-qaeda-iraq-syria-108214_full.html , access-date=20 September 2014 , date=23 June 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826121000/http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/al-qaeda-iraq-syria-108214_full.html , archive-date=26 August 2014 , newspaper= Politico , url-status=live {{cite web, url=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/01/07/bolton_puts_conditions_on_plan_for_withdrawal_from_syria_139108.html, title=Bolton Puts Conditions on Plan for Withdrawal From Syria – RealClearPolitics, website=realclearpolitics.com {{cite news, url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2015/0504/Syria-crisis-Spooked-by-rebel-gains-Jordan-doubles-down-on-Islamic-State, title=Syria crisis: Spooked by rebel gains, Jordan doubles down on Islamic State, date=4 May 2015, access-date=4 May 2015 {{cite news, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11129001/Isil-jihadists-bombard-Syrian-border-town-despite-allied-air-strikes.html , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11129001/Isil-jihadists-bombard-Syrian-border-town-despite-allied-air-strikes.html , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live, title=ISIL jihadists bombard Syrian border town despite allied air strikes, date=29 September 2014, access-date=3 October 2014, newspaper=
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
, last=Tait, first=Robert, location = Mürşitpınar, Turkey{{cbignore
{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-usa-strikes-idUSKCN0HI03A20140923 , title=US, Arab partners launch first strikes on IS in Syria, last1=Stewart, first1=Phil, last2=Perryl, first2=Tom , work=
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
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Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
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Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
,
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
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{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-denmark-idUSKBN13R0WA, title=Denmark to pull F-16 fighter jets from Syria and Iraq, newspaper=Reuters, date=2 December 2016, via=reuters.com {{Cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-rebels-insight-idUSKCN0HP0BE20140930, title=U.S.-led air strikes pose problem for Assad's moderate foes, date=30 September 2014, access-date=30 September 2014, last1=Perry, first1=Tom, last2=Stewart, first2=Phil, editor-last=Nakhoul, editor-first=Samia, location = Reyhanlı, Turkey, work=
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-training-idUSKBN0LM2DN20150218 , title=U.S. identifies 1,200 potential fighters for Syria training , work=Reuters , date=19 February 2015 , access-date=19 February 2015 {{cite news , url=https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/May-02/296571-turkey-us-to-start-train-and-equip-plan-for-syria-rebels-may-9-ankara.ashx , title=Turkey, US to start train-and-equip plan for Syria rebels May 9: Ankara , publisher=TDS , agency=Reuters , date=2 May 2015 , access-date=2 May 2015 Trump ends CIA arms support for anti-Assad Syria rebels: U.S. officials
Reuters, 19 July 2017.
{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-toll-idUSKCN0IW0W420141112?irpc=932, title=U.S.-led strikes have killed 865 people in Syria, 50 civilians: monitor, work=Reuters, date=12 November 2014, access-date=14 November 2014, last=Westall, first=Sylvia, location =
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
,
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
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{{cite news, url=http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-casualties-usa-idINKBN0O62JW20150521, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204234439/http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-casualties-usa-idINKBN0O62JW20150521, url-status=dead, archive-date=4 February 2016, title=U.S. admits two children killed in Islamic State campaign, work=Reuters India, date=21 May 2015, last1=Alexander, first1=David {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29154481, title=Russia warns US against strikes on Islamic State in Syria, work=
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
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The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
{{cbignore
{{cite web , url=http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2015/07/15/first-group-of-fsa-soldiers-trained-by-us-turkey-enters-syria , title=First group of FSA soldiers trained by U.S., Turkey enters Syria , author=Mehmed Cavid Barkçin , work= Daily Sabah , date=15 July 2015 , access-date=26 September 2015 {{cite news, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/24/opinion/bergen-schneider-drones-isis/, title=Now ISIS has drones?, last1=Bergen, first1=Peter, last2=Schneider, first2=Emily, publisher=CNN, date=24 August 2014, access-date=22 December 2014 {{cite news , url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11083159/Predator-drones-being-flown-over-Isils-Syrian-capital.html, title = Predator drones being flown over Isil's Syrian 'capital', first1=Raf , last1=Sanchez, last2=Sherlock, first2=Ruth, newspaper=
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
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''The Sydney Morning Herald.'' 18 January 2018.
{{cite web, url=https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2018/02/06/these-marines-in-syria-fired-more-artillery-than-any-battalion-since-vietnam/, title=These Marines in Syria fired more artillery than any battalion since Vietnam, first=Shawn, last=Snow, date=8 February 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/30831/u-s-special-ops-soldier-talks-to-reporter-in-syrian-oil-fields-as-mission-remains-in-flux, title=U.S. Special Ops Soldier Talks To Reporter In Syrian Oil Fields As Mission Remains In Flux, date=4 November 2019, work=The Drive {{cite web, url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/27/pentagon-delivers-plan-to-speed-up-fight-against-islamic-state.html, title=Pentagon delivers plan to speed up fight against ISIS, possibly boosting US troops in Syria, first=Jeff, last=Daniels, website=
CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...
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{{cite news , url=http://www.startribune.com/syrian-commander-of-u-s-trained-fighters-is-kidnapped-by-al-qaida-affiliate/320211681/ , title=Syrian commander of U.S.-trained fighters is kidnapped by Al-Qaida affiliate , date=30 July 2015 , access-date=6 September 2015 , newspaper=The New York Times {{cite news, url=http://www.stripes.com/news/us-general-syrian-democratic-forces-will-lead-the-assault-on-raqqa-1.435953, publisher=Stars and Stripes, title=US general: Syrian Democratic Forces will lead the assault on Raqqa, date=26 October 2016, access-date=31 October 2016 {{cite web, url=http://english.aawsat.com/2017/01/article55366551/syria-surfacing-haiat-tahrir-al-sham-threatens-truce, title=Syria: Surfacing of 'Hai'at Tahrir al-Sham' Threatens Truce – ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English, first=Asharq, last=Al-awsat, date=30 January 2017, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215122504/http://english.aawsat.com/2017/01/article55366551/syria-surfacing-haiat-tahrir-al-sham-threatens-truce, archive-date=15 February 2017 {{cite web, url=https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2016/07/05/reaper-down-mq-9-crashes-in-syria/, title=Reaper down: MQ-9 crashes in Syria, first=Phillip, last=Swarts, date=7 August 2017, website=airforcetimes.com, access-date=5 February 2018 {{cite web, url=http://syriahr.com/en/2014/11/negotiations-failed-between-the-is-jabhat-al-nusra-and-islamic-battalions/ , title=Negotiations failed between the IS, Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic battalions , work= Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , date=14 November 2014 , access-date=22 December 2014 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219115109/http://syriahr.com/en/2014/11/negotiations-failed-between-the-is-jabhat-al-nusra-and-islamic-battalions/ , archive-date=19 December 2014 {{cite news, url=http://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Syria, title=Syria military strength, publisher=Global Fire Power, date=17 October 2015 {{cite web, url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=128754, title=Although 2 months have passed since announcing the elimination of ISIS east Euphrates, the International Coalition kills 18 people in the 56th month since the beginning of its involvement in military operations in Syria, website=syriahr.com, date=23 May 2019 {{cite web, url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=120851, title=More than 570 thousand people were killed on the Syrian territory within 8 years of revolution demanding freedom, democracy, justice, and equality, website=syriahr.com, date=15 March 2019 U.S. Considers Resuming Nonlethal Aid to Syrian Opposition
By Mark Landler, 9, January 2014
{{cite news , url=http://syrianobserver.com/EN/News/29382/Syrian_Opposition_Fighters_Withdraw_from_US_Train_Equip_Program/ , title=Syrian Opposition Fighters Withdraw from US 'Train and Equip' Program , date=22 June 2015 , access-date=6 September 2015 , publisher=The Syrian Observer Americans Support Military Action in Syria Against ISIS.
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119200616/https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/publication/americans-support-limited-military-action-syria-against-isis , date=19 November 2020 Chicago Council On Foreign Affairs. 15 August 2016.
Friedhoff, Karl
"Middle East Polling Roundup."
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126094251/https://www.thechicagocouncil.org/blog/running-numbers/middle-east-polling-roundup , date=26 November 2020 The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. 30 December 2015.
{{cite news, last1=Spencer, first1=Richard, title=US-backed head of Free Syria Army voted out, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10644538/US-backed-head-of-Free-Syria-Army-voted-out.html , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10644538/US-backed-head-of-Free-Syria-Army-voted-out.html , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live, access-date=20 September 2014, date=17 February 2014, newspaper=
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
{{cbignore
{{cite news, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11049814/The-failed-US-mission-to-try-and-rescue-James-Foley-from-Islamic-State-terrorists.html , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/11049814/The-failed-US-mission-to-try-and-rescue-James-Foley-from-Islamic-State-terrorists.html , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live, title=The failed US mission to try and rescue James Foley from Islamic State terrorists, date=21 August 2014, access-date=19 September 2014, last1=Sherlock, first1=Ruth, last2=Malouf, first2=Carol, last3=Ensor, first3=Josie, location =
Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...
,
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
, newspaper=
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
{{cbignore
{{cite news, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/12204658/Leaked-report-SAS-on-ground-in-Libya-for-months.html , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/12204658/Leaked-report-SAS-on-ground-in-Libya-for-months.html , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live, title=Leaked report: SAS on ground in Libya for months, work=The Daily Telegraph, date=25 March 2016, last=Morgan, first=Tom{{cbignore {{cite news , url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/fears-of-massacre-as-isis-tanks-lead-assault-on-kurdish-bastion-h0bvmqr6dfb, title=Fears of massacre as Isis tanks lead assault on Kurdish bastion, work=
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
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The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
{{cite news, url=https://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21623669-coalition-may-already-be-losing-fight-against-islamic-state-will-and-way, title=The will and the way: The coalition may already be losing the fight against Islamic State, date=9 October 2014, access-date=22 December 2014, newspaper=
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
{{cite news, url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21631200-bashar-assads-impunity-undermining-fight-against-islamic-state-rapidly, title=Rapidly unravelling: Bashar Assad's impunity is undermining the fight against Islamic State, date=8 November 2014, access-date=22 December 2014, newspaper=
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
{{cite news, url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21632626-limited-un-ceasefire-plan-has-little-hope-success-can-hell-be-frozen-over, title=Can hell be frozen over?: A limited UN ceasefire plan has little hope of success, date=15 November 2014, access-date=22 December 2014, newspaper=
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...
Thompson, Mark
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‘U.S. Forms Anti-ISIS Coalition at NATO Summit’
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{{cite magazine , url=https://time.com/5484972/donald-trump-syria-withdrawal/, title=The U.S. Will Withdraw From Syria. No One's Sure What Comes Next, author=W.J. Hennigan , magazine=
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
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{{cite web, url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2017/02/uighur-jihadist-fought-in-afghanistan-killed-in-syria.php, title=Uighur jihadist fought in Afghanistan, killed in Syria, author=Caleb Weiss, website= Long War Journal, date=14 February 2017, access-date=22 February 2017 {{cite news, url=http://www.todayszaman.com/op-ed_will-the-islamic-state-last-through-2015_368806.html , title=Will the Islamic State last through 2015? , newspaper=Today's Zaman , access-date=4 January 2015 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105161140/http://www.todayszaman.com/op-ed_will-the-islamic-state-last-through-2015_368806.html , archive-date=5 January 2015 {{Cite web, url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/turkey-launches-assault-on-kurdish-fighters-in-syria-after-us-forces-step-aside/, title=Turkey launches assault on Kurdish fighters in Syria, after US forces step aside, last1=Pitarakis, first1=Lefteris, last2=Mroue, first2=Bassem, website=timesofisrael.com, language=en-US, access-date=9 October 2019 {{cite web, url=https://www.tpi.it/2018/06/12/truppe-italiane-siria/, title=Secondo un'agenzia di stampa turca l'Italia ha inviato delle truppe in Siria a combattere l'Isis, date=12 June 2018 {{cite news, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/lawmakers-move-to-curb-1-billion-cia-program-to-train-syrian-rebels/2015/06/12/b0f45a9e-1114-11e5-adec-e82f8395c032_story.html, title=Secret CIA effort in Syria faces large funding cut , newspaper=The Washington Post, access-date=13 October 2015, date=10 June 2015 {{cite tweet , user=FranticGoat , number=1004545403101032449 , date=6 June 2018 , title=Lotta interesting stuff happening in this picture, reportedly taken in Syria. Armored forklift loading the MV-22 reportedly belongs to the 441st Air Expeditionary Squadron, which runs the site. h/t @obretix , first=Joseph , last=Trevithick , archive-url=https://archive.today/20180609015352/https://twitter.com/FranticGoat/status/1004545403101032449 , archive-date=9 June 2018 {{cite web, url=https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1075397797929775105, title=We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency., last=Trump, first=Donald J., date=19 December 2018, website=@realDonaldTrump, language=en, access-date=19 December 2018{{better source needed, date=October 2019 {{cite news, title=Surveillance missions over Syria confirmed, url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/surveillance-missions-over-syria-confirmed , access-date=21 October 2014 , publisher=Ministry of Defence, date=21 October 2014 {{cite news, title=UK forces kill British Isis fighters in targeted drone strike on Syrian city, url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/07/uk-forces-airstrike-killed-isis-briton-reyaad-khan-syria, access-date=10 September 2015, work=The Guardian, date=7 September 2015, postscript=none; {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33562420, title=Syria air strikes conducted by UK military pilots, work=BBC News, access-date=24 July 2015, date=17 July 2015, postscript=none; {{cite web, url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/sas-troops-dressed-in-us-uniforms-and-joined-special-forces-on-isis-abu-sayyaf-overnight-raid-in-syria/ar-BBlBCQZ, title=SAS troops 'dressed in US uniforms and joined special forces on Isis Abu Sayyaf overnight raid in Syria', website= MSN , access-date=10 August 2015, date=10 August 2015, postscript=none; {{cite news, title=Surveillance missions over Syria confirmed, url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/surveillance-missions-over-syria-confirmed, access-date=21 October 2014, publisher=Ministry of Defence, date=21 October 2014 {{cite news, url=http://www.dw.de/britain-to-use-surveillance-drones-in-syria/a-18010425 , title = Britain to use surveillance drones in Syria, publisher=
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...
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{{cite web, url=https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/french-carrier-strike-group-joins-operations-571214.html, title=French Carrier Strike Group Joins Operations Against Islamic State – Central Command, website=UrduPoint 5 Things to Know About the Fight Against ISIS in Syria
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United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...
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United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...
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The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
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Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
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USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
, last=Michaels, first=Jim
Jim Michaels
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{{cite web, url=http://www.vlada.cz/cz/media-centrum/aktualne/ministr-zaoralek-podporil-mezinarodni-usili-v-boji-proti-tzv--islamskemu-statu--125104/, title=Ministr Zaorálek podpořil mezinárodní úsilí v boji proti tzv. Islámskému státu, date=3 December 2014, access-date=19 July 2015, language=cs, publisher =
Government of the Czech Republic The Government of the Czech Republic () exercises executive power in the Czech Republic. The members of the government are the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (Chairman of the Government), the deputy prime minister and other ministers. It ...
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The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
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The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
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The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
, last=Brooks, first=Rosa
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The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
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The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
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The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
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{{cite web, url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/21/frances-existential-loneliness-in-syria/, title=France's Existential Loneliness in Syria, first=Robert, last=Zaretsky, date=21 December 2018 {{cite news , url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-crisis-congress-vote-idUSKBN0HD2P820140918, title=U.S. Congress approves arming Syrian rebels, funding government, date=18 September 2014, access-date=12 October 2014, last1=Zengerle, first1=Patricia, last2=Lawder, first2=David, work=
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
{{cite news, url=http://www.todayszaman.com/national_petition-calls-on-white-house-to-officially-arm-ypg_361343.html, title=Petition calls on White House to officially arm YPG, date=12 October 2014, access-date=12 October 2014, newspaper= Today's Zaman, location=
Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
, Turkey, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012190349/http://www.todayszaman.com/national_petition-calls-on-white-house-to-officially-arm-ypg_361343.html, archive-date=12 October 2014
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Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
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External links


Operation Inherent Resolve

ISIL frontline maps (Syria)
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