Topic summary
Rojava–Islamist conflict
Syrian Democratic Forces- and allied groups
- CJTF-OIR (2014–2026; airstrikes, arms, and ground troops)
- United States
- Australia
- United Kingdom
- France
- Netherlands
United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia(2018–2026)
Czech Republic- Iraqi Kurdistan (limited involvement)
Russia (until 2024)
Ba'athist Syria (until 2024)
Islamic State- Military of IS
- Dokumacılar (until 2017)
al-Nusra Front (until 2017)
Ahrar ash-Sham
Jaysh al-Islam- Free Syrian Army factions
Mare' Operations Room (2014–16)- Hawar Kilis Operations Room (2016–2025)
Syrian Turkmen Brigades
- Fatah Halab (2015–2017)
Turkey (2015–2026)- Supported by:
Qatar (arms)- Saudi Arabia (arms)
Mazloum Abdi
Sipan Hamo Cemşîd Osman Nujin Derik Roshna Akeed Alaa Ajabu †
Abu Layla (DOW)
Abu Hafs al-HashimiAbu al-Hussein al-Husseini†Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi†Abu Ibrahim al-Hashmi†Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi†Abu Ali al-Anbari†
Abu Mohammad al-Adnani†
Ali Aswad al-Jiburi†Abu Muslim al-Turkmani†Abu Ali al-Anbari†Abu Omar al-Shishani† Abu Musab- SDF
- Foreign volunteers:
PKK (until 2025)
International Freedom Battalion- Anarchist and antifascist units:
Devrimci Anarşist Faaliyet (DAF)
Other anarchist and anarcho-feminist volunteers- Arab tribes:
- Al-Shaitat
(Ras al-'Ayn area)- Zubayd tribe
(Ras al-'Ayn area) - Shammar tribe
(Ya'rubiyah area) - Security forces:
- Asayish
- Sutoro
- YPG: 65,000
- Jabhat al-Akrad: 7,000
- MFS: 2,000+ (2015)
- PKK: 600
21,000 fighters wounded
25,336 killed, 2,127 captured (YPG claim; 2013–2017 total)
By US-led airstrikes:
9,145+ killed (SOHR claim, minimum, as of March 2019)
The Rojava–Islamist conflict was a major theater in the Syrian civil war (2011–2024) and Syrian conflict (until 2026) in which the forces of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria fought against Islamist militant groups.
Fighting erupted between the KurdishPeople's Protection Units (YPG) and Islamist rebel factions in the city of Ras al-Ayn in 2013, and Kurdish forces launched a campaign in an attempt to take control of Islamist-controlled areas after al-Qaeda in Syria used those areas to attack the YPG. The Kurds' and their allies' goal was also to capture Kurdish areas from Arab Islamists to strengthen the autonomous region, initially known as Rojava. As Kurdish forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the military arm of the autonomous region, gained substantial territory from Islamist groups, Turkey intervened militarily against both the Islamic State and Kurdish forces.
The Islamic State lost the last of its territories in 2019, with the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani reducing it to insurgent activities already ongoing in Eastern Syria.
The conflict was ended following the integration of the autonomous region into Syria.