Syria Conflict Overview: 2011-2018
Abstract
In March 2011, the arrest of a group of school children triggered protests in the southern Syrian province of Dar'a. Mostly peaceful demonstrations called for political and economic reform, although violence was reported at times. As security forces responded with mass arrests and at times opened fire, protests spread to other provinces. The opposition movement eventually coalesced into two umbrella groups - one political, one armed - with the leadership of both based primarily in exile. Political groups established the Syrian National Council (SNC), which remained fractured in the absence of a shared vision for Syria's future. Military defectors formed the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which claimed leadership over the armed opposition but whose authority was generally unrecognized by local armed groups, including armed Islamists. Ongoing violence, primarily but not exclusively on the part of the Syrian government, prompted President Obama in August 2011 to call for Syrian President Asad to step aside. Meanwhile, the Al Qaeda (AQ) affiliate in neighboring Iraq (the Islamic State of Iraq, ISI) sent members to Syria under the banner of a new group known as the Nusra Front. In December 2011, the first Nusra Front suicide attacks hit government buildings in Damascus.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 23, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1146637
Entities
People
- Carla E. Humud
Organizations
- Library of Congress