Al-Nusra FrontSalafi jihadist organization in the Syrian civil war (2012–2017)Jabhat Al-Nusra, also referred to as Al-Nusra Front and later known as Jabhat Fatah Al-Sham was a SunniIslamist political organization and paramilitary group that fought against Ba'athist regime forces in the Syrian civil war. Its aim was to overthrow Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and establish an Islamic state ruled by Sharia in Syria.
Syrian Armed ForcesCombined military forces of SyriaThe Syrian Armed Forces (Arabic: القُوَّاتُ المُسَلَّحَةُ السُورِيَّةُ, romanized: al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥah as-Sūrīyyah) are the military forces of Syria. They consist of the Syrian Army, Syrian Air Force and Syrian Navy. According to Article 32 of the Constitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic, the President of Syria serves as the commander-in-chief of the Army and the Armed Forces.
Syrian TurkmenEthnic groupEthnic groupSyrian Turkmen, also referred to as Syrian Turks (Arabic: تركمان سوريا, romanized: Turkumān Sūriyā; Turkish: Suriye Türkmenleri) are Syrian citizens of Turkish origin who mainly trace their roots to Anatolia (i.e. modern Turkey). Turkish-speaking Syrian Turkmen make up one of the country's minority groups.
Islamic StateSalafi jihadist militant organisation
Syrian ArmyLand force branch of the Syrian Armed ForcesMilitary unitThe Syrian Arab Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It originated in local military forces formed by the French after World War I, after France obtained a mandate over the region. It was officially formed in 1945, before Syria obtained full independence in 1946.
Syrian civil war2011–2024 armed conflict in SyriaBelligerentsFull list of factionsCasualties and lossesTotal deaths656,493+Civilian deaths219,223–306,887+ Displaced people6.7 million internally6.6 million externally (refugees) (March 2021)See Casualties of the Syrian civil war for detailsThe Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring.
SyriaSyria, 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 the north and northwest, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic under a provisional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is Syria's capital and largest city.
United States Secretary of DefenseHead of the US Department of DefenseThe United States secretary of defense (SecDef), secondarily titled the secretary of war (SecWar), is the head of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high-ranking member of the Cabinet of the United States.
TurkeyTurkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq, Syria, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the Aegean Sea, Greece, and Bulgaria to the west. Turkey is home to over 86 million people; most are ethnic Turks, while Kurds are the largest ethnic minority.
United StatesThe 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 consisting of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous states border Canada to the north and Mexico to the south, with the semi-exclave of Alaska in the northwest and the archipelago of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.Syrian opposition (2011–2024)
Ash CarterAshton Baldwin Carter (September 24, 1954 – October 24, 2022) was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School. Carter began his career as a physicist.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.