American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war

American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war
	Part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the military intervention against ISIL, and the foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war
	; Top: Territorial map of the Syrian Civil War in September 2014; Bottom: Current territorial map of the Syrian Civil War; Syrian Government Army Syrian National Army & others Syrian Democratic Forces Tahrir al-Sham ISIL; (For a more detailed, up-to-date, interactive map, see here.)
Date	22 September 2014 – present ; (6 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 4 days)
Location	Syria
Result	Ongoing operations 19,786+ U.S. and allied airstrikes, over 16,000 hitting ISIL positions; Thousands of targets destroyed, thousands of militants killed; U.S.-backed rebel training program 2014–2016; U.S. and allies supplying weapons and advisers to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces; ISIL loses most of its territory in Syria by December 2017; ISIL suffers military defeat and loses almost all of its remaining territory in March 2019; U.S.-led occasional strikes against the Syrian government; U.S. Marines and Special Operation forces deployed in Syria (less than 2,000, as of early Dec. 2017); Further decline of Russia–United States relations; Death of ISIL's leader Abu Bakr Al-Bagdadhi in October 2019;
Belligerents
Commanders and leaders
Strength
Casualties and losses
	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.

The American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War refers to the American-led support of Syrian rebels and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during the course of the Syrian civil war, including Operation Inherent Resolve, the active military operation led by the United States, and involving the militaries of the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, Turkey, Canada, Australia, and others against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front since 2014. Beginning in 2017–18, the U.S. and its partners have also targeted the Syrian government and its allies via airstrikes and aircraft shoot-downs, mainly in defense of either the SDF or the Revolutionary Commando Army in al-Tanf.

Shortly after the civil war broke out in 2011, the U.S. 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 U.S. programs attempted to assist the Syrian rebels, including a 2014 Pentagon program that planned to train and equip 15,000 rebels to fight ISIL, which was canceled in 2015 after spending $500 million and producing only a few dozen fighters.^[142] A simultaneous $1 billion covert program called Timber Sycamore conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (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.^[142] The Obama administration began surveillance missions on Islamic State positions in Syria in September 2014.^[143] On 22 September 2014, the U.S., Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) began to attack ISIL forces inside Syria,^[18]^[144] as well as the Khorasan group in the Idlib Governorate west of Aleppo, and the al-Nusra Front around Raqqa,^[24]^[145] as part of the international military intervention against ISIL. By late 2015, coalition planes were dropping or launching an average of 67 bombs or missiles a day.^[146] By August 2017, CJTF-OIR had flown 168,000 sorties in both Syria and Iraq (mostly against ISIL).^[39]

The U.S. missile strike on Shayrat Airbase on 7 April 2017 was the first time the U.S. deliberately attacked Syrian government forces,^[147] and marked the start of a series of direct military actions by U.S. forces against the Syrian government and its allies that occurred during the periods of May–June 2017 and February 2018. In mid-January 2018, the Trump administration indicated its intention to maintain an open-ended military presence in Syria to counter Iran's influence and oust Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.^[148] In early September 2018, the U.S. began implementing a new strategy that sought to indefinitely extend its military effort, launching a major diplomatic push to achieve American objectives in Syria.^[149] However, on 19 December, President Trump unilaterally ordered the withdrawal of the 2,000–2,500 American ground troops in Syria, which was initially set to take place in a 90-day period, and to be completed in 2019.^[150]^[151]^[152] With proliferating concerns over a potential power vacuum, the U.S. announced on 22 February 2019 that instead of a total withdrawal, a contingency force of around 400 American troops would remain garrisoned in Syria indefinitely, and that their withdrawal would be gradual and conditions-based, marking a return to a policy of open-ended American military presence in the country.^[153]^[154] 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.^[155]

In 2019, the coalition saw decisive results in its intervention against ISIL; the terror group lost its last remaining territory in Syria during the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani^[156] and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a U.S. special forces raid in Barisha, Idlib in October 2019.^[157] The Trump administration ordered all U.S. 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 U.S.'s alliance with the SDF in favor of NATO ally Turkey.^[158] The decision was however partially reversed by November 2019 as U.S. 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 ISIL insurgency and the Syrian government.^[159]

On 23 November 2019, the head of U.S. Central Command stated there was no "end date" on the U.S.'s intervention in Syria.^[160]

Background[]

United States diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks have been seen as showing that regime change in Syria may have been a covert foreign policy goal of the U.S. government in the years leading up to the civil war, even during the period when President Barack Obama was publicly engaging with Syria's Bashar Al-Assad. A 2006 memorandum by U.S. 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.^[161]^[162]

Following the start of the Arab Spring in 2011, protests in Syria against the Assad regime were violently suppressed and a civil war began.^[163] 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 was established by the Islamic State of Iraq as the official branch of al-Qaeda in Syria. The al-Nusra Front was eclipsed by its own creator, and al-Qaeda severed its ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in February 2014, after an eight-month power struggle.^[164]

Pre-coalition arming and training of the Syrian opposition[]

At the direction of U.S. President Barack Obama, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was put in charge of operations worth about $1 billion annually to arm anti-government forces in Syria,^[165]^[166]^[167]^[168] 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.^[169]^[170]^[171] Although a former intelligence adviser who spoke to journalist Seymour Hersh claimed the CIA had been facilitating the flow of arms from Libya to Syria in collaboration with "the UK [United Kingdom], Saudi Arabia and Qatar" since 2012 or 2011,^[172] 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 in April.^[173] Another of the groups being vetted was the Islamist Army of Mujahedeen, formed in January 2014 specifically to combat ISIL.^[173]^[174] However, there were indications that the Army of Mujahedeen was still being vetted in September 2014.^[175]

In addition to the covert CIA program,^[176] on 17 September 2014, the U.S. 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.^[177]^[178]^[179]

July 2014 rescue mission[]

Following the abduction of a number of foreigners in Syria, on 4 July 2014, the U.S. carried out an operation to rescue foreign hostages being held by ISIL. U.S. airstrikes were conducted against an ISIL military base known as the "Osama bin Laden Camp" while at the same time, two dozen U.S. special forces soldiers parachuted 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.^[180] U.S. 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 U.S. 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.^[180] Following the mission, it was still unclear whether the operation failed due to bad intelligence or whether ISIL forces were alerted in advance of the mission.^[181]

In the aftermath of the rescue mission, and purportedly as a response to airstrikes in Iraq, ISIL beheaded three hostages over a one-month period: Americans James Foley^[180] and Steven Sotloff on 19 August and 2 September respectively,^{[citation needed]} and Briton David Haines on 13 September.^[182]

Surveillance flights over Syria[]

On 26 August 2014, the U.S. began sending 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.^[183] No approval was sought from the Assad government for flights entering Syrian airspace.^[184]

U.S.-led coalition against ISIL[]

The United States had since 2014 led efforts to establish a global coalition to counter ISIL.^[185]

On 5 September, 15 September^[186] and 3 December 2014, various sets of countries came together to discuss concerted action against ISIL. Present at all three meetings were the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Turkey and Denmark.

The coalition of 5 September (10 countries) decided to support anti-ISIL forces in Iraq and Syria.^[187] On 10 September 2014, U.S. president Barack Obama announced a ″comprehensive″ strategy to counter ISIL that ″in concert with coalition partners <...> will defeat ISIL and deny them safe haven″.^[188]

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)^[189] agreed on a many-sided strategy against ISIL, including cutting off ISIL's financing and funding and exposing ISIL's true nature.^[189] As of March 2015, the U.S.-led coalition comprised over sixty countries, that contributed in various ways to the effort.^[185]

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.^[190] On 20 October 2014, the Turkish foreign minister, 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.^[191] 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.^[192] On 28 October, Peshmerga from the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government departed Erbil to travel to Turkey and eventually to Kobanî.^[193] 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.^[193] The other 72 soldiers in the contingent flew to Turkey and rejoined the rest of the contingent on 29 October.^[193] 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.^[16]^[84]

On 20 October 2014, the United States began airdropping supplies to Syrian Kurdish forces, including the YPG, that were besieging ISIL-controlled Kobanî.^[194] 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.^[194] Much of the reason for the U.S. airdropping supplies was due to the Turkish government's refusal to allow supplies to pass through their border into Kobanî. The U.S. specifically airdropped weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies supplied by Iraqi Kurdistan intended to supply the Kurdish forces in Syria.^[194] 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.^[195] 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.^[196]

Coalition arming and training of the Syrian opposition[]

In October 2014, the Turkish government agreed to help train and equip some moderate Syrian rebels in Turkey.^[197] 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.^[198] The countries taking part in the train-and-equip program were to include Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as Turkey.^[199] The groups that were expected to be armed and trained by the U.S. government included fighters from the Free Syrian Army.^[200] The Pentagon 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.^[199]

The successful experience in Kobanî had informed U.S. 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.^[176] 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".^[201] In March 2015, the United Kingdom announced that it was sending around 75 military instructors to train Syrian opposition forces.^[202]^[203] The train-and-equip program started on 9 May 2015.^[204] On 25 May, Turkey and the U.S. agreed "in principle" on the necessity to support these forces with air support.^[205]

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.^[206] 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^[207] – and a further 100 had been thus far finished training in Jordan.^[208] In September 2015, it was reported that a further 100-120 were being trained in a second wave,^[209] 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.^[210]

Jane's Defence Weekly reported that in December 2015 the U.S. 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 U.S. government's Federal Business Opportunities website.^[211]^[212] As of July 2016, extensive arms shipments were continuing.^[213]^[214]^[215]

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.^[216]^[217]^[218]

Timeline[]

USS Carl Vinson and support ships deployed for combat operations in Syria and Iraq, 2014

Multinational air war[]

Preparations for U.S. airstrikes[]

Tomahawk missiles being fired from the warships USS Philippine Sea and USS Arleigh Burke at ISIL targets in the city of Raqqa

An F/A-18 Super Hornet taking off from USS Carl Vinson before carrying out strikes on ISIL targets in Syria

In his address to the nation on 10 September 2014, U.S. 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.^[219] 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.^[220]

Commenting on Obama's address, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman [ru] opposed the U.S. 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".^[221]

On 17 September, the U.S. 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.^[222] The Senate gave final congressional approval to Obama's proposal the next day.^[223]

The U.S. 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.^[224]

Before the airstrikes began, the United States also informed Iran, 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.^[225]

Contributing countries[]

Australia (Operation Okra)
Bahrain
Belgium
Canada (Operation Impact § In Syria) – Airstrikes ended February 2016^[226]^[227]
France (Opération Chammal)
Germany (Operation Counter Daesh)
Netherlands (see Dutch involvement in the Syrian Civil War and Dutch military intervention against ISIL) – Began anti-ISIL airstrikes in Syria on 29 January 2016
Jordan (see Jordanian intervention in the Syrian Civil War)
Qatar (see Qatari involvement in the Syrian Civil War)
Saudi Arabia (see Saudi Arabian involvement in the Syrian Civil War)
Turkey (see Turkey–ISIL conflict and Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War)
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom (Operation Shader § Intervention in Syria)
United States (Leader) (Operation Inherent Resolve)

Airstrikes on the Khorasan Group[]

F/A-18 Hornets take off from USS George H.W. Bush to strike ISIL targets in Syria

One of the groups targeted by U.S. 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 U.S. and other Western nations.^[224] 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.^[228] The group is reportedly led by Muhsin al-Fadhli, a leader of al-Qaeda and a close confidant of Osama bin Laden.^[228] 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.^[228]

Later statements by government officials indicated that the threat of a plot may have been less severe than initially reported.^[229]^[230] One official indicated that "there did not yet seem to be a concrete plan in the works",^[229] while another told The Guardian that "there was no indication of an imminent domestic threat from the group" at the time the United States began bombing.^[230]

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.^[34] On 13 November 2014, the US launched a third set of airstrikes against Khorasan.^[231] On 19 November, the US carried out another airstrike on Khorasan near Hazm, which struck and destroyed a storage facility associated with the group.^[232] On 1 December, the US carried out another airstrike on Khorasan near Aleppo.^[233]

On 24 March 2015, it was revealed that the US airstrikes on Khorasan had killed 17 militants from the group.^[234]

On 8 July 2015, a US airstrike near the town of Sarmada in Idlib, Syria, killed Muhsin al-Fadhli, the leader of Khorasan.^[64]

Ground operations[]

During the beginning of the coalition interventions, leaders, including U.S. President Obama, said coalition ground forces would not be used in the fight against ISIL either in Iraq or Syria unless they were local coalition forces.^[235] While in Iraq thousands of coalition troops from the United States and other nations had been deployed in an advisory capacity, in Syria no ground troops from the coalition intervening in Syria were deployed in the beginning of the intervention.^[236]^[237]

2015–16[]

Syrian Democratic Forces soldiers in Manbij, 2016

In November 2015, the Obama administration began the deployment of U.S. special forces to Syria, on 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.^[238]

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.^[239]

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.^[240]

On 17 March 2016, the day after the declaration of the Federation of Northern Syria, U.S. 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."^[241]

U.S. Army Special Forces in Raqqa, May 2016; one is wearing a Kurdish YPJ patch

During the SDF's May 2016 offensive against ISIL in Northern Raqqa, U.S. 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.^[242] On 21 May, Joseph Votel, commanding general of U.S. Central Command, completed a secret hours-long trip to northern Syria to visit several locations where there were U.S. special operations forces and meet with local forces the U.S. was helping train to fight ISIL. The visit came as the first of 250 additional U.S. special operations forces were beginning to arrive in Syria to work with local forces. The commander overseeing the war in Syria, at the end of a long Saturday spent touring SDF bases, said "We do, absolutely, have to go with what we've got".^[243]

In September 2016, the U.S. 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, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, condemned this and claimed that the SDF are "endangering our future".^[244]

In October 2016, U.S. 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.^[245] From November 2016, more than 300 U.S. Special Operations Forces were embedded to train and advise SDF fighters in the Raqqa offensive.^[246]

2017–18[]

Kurdish troops and U.S. armored vehicle in Al-Hasakah, May 2017

U.S. Army 310th Engineer Company maintaining a Mabey Logistic Support Bridge during the Battle of Raqqa, 29 July 2017

Play media

U.S. Marines and Army Special Forces operating in support of the SDF in Syria, October 2018

In March 2017, the Trump administration deployed an additional 400 U.S. Marines to Syria to expand the fight against ISIL in the Raqqa offensive where they could provide artillery support for U.S.-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 U.S.'s war in Syria, and put more conventional U.S. 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.^[247] 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 U.S. military in Operation Desert Storm.^[248]

In March 2018, SDF press secretary in Deir ez-Zor Mehdi Kobani reportedly told Sputnik Turkiye that U.S. 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 U.S. 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.^[249]^[250]

On 8 April 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump called Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad "Animal Assad", following suspected chemical attack carried out in the Syrian city of Douma.^[251] 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."^[252]

It was reported in June 2018 that the 441st Air Expeditionary Squadron reportedly maintained an unpaved runway in Sarrin, Raqqa Governorate.^[253]^[254]^[255]

2019 drawdown of U.S. ground forces[]

On 19 December 2018, President Donald Trump announced that he ordered the pullout of all 2,000–2,500 U.S. troops operating in Syria, though no clear timetable was given.^[256] 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.^[257] On 3 January 2019, Trump described Syria as "sand and death" in defense of troop withdrawal.^[258] U.S. operations in al-Tanf would continue indefinitely.^[259]

On 16 January 2019, a suicide bombing claimed by ISIL in the SDF-controlled town of Manbij killed four U.S. personnel and injured three servicemen, making it the deadliest attack on Coalition forces in the country since the intervention.^[260]^[261]^[262] The ISIL attack drew a second round of criticism of the U.S. president's withdrawal order, with critics linking the attack with an emboldening of ISIL terror and insurgent tactics due to the announcement of a U.S. pullout, despite the group's continued loss of territory in Syria.^[263] President Trump offered condolences to the families of the slain American citizens on 17 January while he reaffirmed his policy of withdrawing troops.^[264] Trump paid tribute to the fallen Americans during a trip to Dover Air Force Base in the U.S. state of Delaware on 19 January, where their remains were received.^[265]

On 21 January, an ISIL SVBIED targeted a U.S. 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 U.S. convoy drove past. No Americans were harmed.^[266]

CNN reported on 24 January that additional U.S. 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. U.S. 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.^[267] Local sources reported to Anadolu Agency on 28 January that around 600 U.S. 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.^[268]

By the end of January 2019, according to two U.S. 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 U.S. 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. U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, 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.^[269]

On 18 February, Commander-in-Chief of the SDF Mazlum Kobane expressed hopes the U.S. would halt its total pullout. Kobane said there were discussions about perhaps French and British troops supporting them, but demanded 1,000–1,500 U.S. 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 U.S. withdrawal was continuing.^[270]

With the general withdrawal continuing, the White House announced late on 21 February that 200 residual U.S. troops would remain in Syria as a "peacekeeping force". The peacekeeping deployment would be indefinite.^[271] 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 U.S. is not seeking a United Nations mandate for the deployment and currently does not envision asking NATO to sponsor the mission, an administration official said, adding that the troops would not technically be "peacekeepers," a term that carries restricted rules of engagement.^[272]

On 7 March, Gen. Joseph Votel confirmed that U.S. 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 U.S. forces and their allies.^[273] By late March, the U.S. continued to stretch the timetable for the pullout. On 29 March, U.S. 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 U.S. 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.^[274]

In early May, video emerged online of U.S. 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".^[275]

Withdrawal from north Syria[]

Following the collapse of the August–October 2019 Northern Syria Buffer Zone agreement and subsequent Turkish offensive, U.S. ground forces began deliberately withdrawing from many of their bases, outposts, and camps in north Syria around 6 October, including Manbij^[276] and the Lafarge cement factory, upon "precipitous" orders from the Donald Trump administration.^[277] Senior U.S. 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.^[278] A U.S. official said the ~1,000 U.S. troops being withdrawn will mostly reposition in western Iraq but also possibly Kuwait and Jordan. From Iraq, U.S. forces could conduct cross-border operations against ISIL in Syria, as they had done so in the past.^[279]

Play media

U.S. soldiers remove equipment and prepare to retrograde from their base at the Lafarge cement factory in north Syria, 15 October 2019

During the withdrawal, which was described in news media as a "scramble", reports emerged showing that U.S. 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 forces reportedly at an abandoned U.S. outpost near Manbij.^[278]^[280] 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 U.S. forces or equipment were ever in jeopardy and remain within separate, secure facilities." SDF personnel burned their part of the base before departing.^[281] 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".^[282]

On 18 October, after a "ceasefire" between Turkish and Kurdish forces was declared a day prior, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper stated that the withdrawal was continuing and that the U.S. would continue to communicate with both Turkey and the SDF. A senior defense official stated that U.S. aircraft would continue to conduct intelligence missions over northeast Syria to monitor the situation there.^[283] In late October, Esper said the U.S. 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 U.S.^[284] According to The New York Times, citing U.S. Defense Department officials, by 30 October at least half of the original ~1,000 U.S. troops in Syria had withdrawn and was expected to be reduced to roughly 250 personnel, largely concentrated in the Deir ez-Zor region.^[285]

On 31 October, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad called President Trump as the "best American president", because he is the most transparent foe, due to his audacity to take the Syrian oil.^[286]

On 3 November 2019 U.S. and coalition forces departed their strategic military base near the town of Sarrin. U.S. 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 U.S. bases in Syria, a logistics hub that assisted in the anti-ISIL intervention.^[287] On 10 November, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley stated that at least 500-600 U.S. 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.^[288]

By mid-November, Russian and Syrian government forces had quickly filled the power vacuum left behind by the U.S. in much of northern Syria. The U.S. 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.^[289] 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 U.S.-made airstrip there and the Russian flag seen hoisted over the fortification, of which had been stripped of essentials by coalition personnel, only leaving behind toiletries, sleeping facilities, some exercise equipment, and other small items.^[290] 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 U.S. 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.^[291] The withdrawal from north Syria was partially carried out by the U.S. 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.^[292]

2019–20: Eastern Syria redeployment[]

Play media

A U.S. military convoy passes through Qamishli on 26 October 2019, amid the return of U.S. forces to oil fields in northeast Syria

By 20 October 2019,^[285] after backlash from the U.S. 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 infrastructure in SDF-controlled eastern Syria from ISIL insurgent attacks. While U.S. forces continued to reduce its presence in northern Syria by the hundreds to avoid Syrian-SDF and Turkish fighting, the U.S. simultaneously shifted more resources south and east into the oil-rich Deir ez-Zor Governorate.^[285] Defense Secretary Mark Esper confirmed on 25 October that the U.S. will "maintain a reduced presence in Syria and deny ISIS access to oil revenue"^[285] and, in support of the mission, mechanized and armored units would be deployed to eastern Syria to reinforce the U.S.'s presence there.^[284] 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, which was estimated to raise the number of U.S. troops in eastern Syria to around 500 at the time. When coupled with the U.S. garrison at al-Tanf, the contingency force's numbers rise to a flexible 800–900 personnel.^[285] 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 river and also establish military bases at al-Baghuz, al-Basira, , and the .^[293]

M2A2 Bradley IFVs of the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment (attached to 218th MEB), accompany a U.S. patrol in eastern Syria, 13 November 2019

On 30 October, 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, a U.S. combined arms battalion equipped with M2A2 Bradley IFVs deployed to the Deir ez-Zor region with Bradleys to help guard SDF-U.S. controlled oil and gas fields. The battalion is part of the U.S. 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 U.S.'s theater-level contingency force for the Middle East.^[294] By 31 October, U.S. 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 U.S.'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]} and NSTVs (Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles) U.S. special operations units and regular ground forces have used prior—introduced additional firepower and force protection capabilities for ground forces.^[294] Nevertheless the Bradley IFVs were pulled out of Syria after less than two months of deployment due to unspecified reasons.^[295]

On 3 November, OIR officials confirmed that multiple artillery rounds landed about one kilometer from a road with a U.S. 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.^[296] On 4 November, Rudaw briefly interviewed a U.S. special operations soldier during a patrol at an oilfield near Rmelan, who stated that U.S. 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 U.S. patrol had begun in Rmelan and spanned the towns of al-Jawadiyah, al-Malikiyah, and Ain-Diwar.^[297] On 15 December, a large U.S. logistical convoy en route to Deir ez-Zor was reportedly seen crossing Semalka into al-Hasakah province from Iraq.^[298]

By mid-January 2020, tensions between Russian and U.S. forces in northeast Syria had reportedly grown as U.S. troops had increasingly begun blocking Russian convoys from accessing certain major roads between towns. Both Russia and the U.S. operate military outposts throughout the region as a part of their respective missions.^[299] On 25 August, a Russian military vehicle rammed a U.S. armored car near al-Malikiyah, northeastern Syria, in which four US soldiers had suffered mild concussion. Russian defense ministry, 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.^[300]

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.^[301] The Syrian authorities condemned the agreement, and mentioned that: "This agreement is null and void and has no legal basis."^[302] Seizing oil without local government permission would be a war crime of pillage.^[303]

U.S. 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment troops conduct area reconnaissance in Syria, 18 February 2021

On 17 August, U.S. 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.^[304]

On 19 September, the U.S. deployed additional troops, equipment and armored vehicles to north-eastern Syria following 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."^[305] U.S. Central Command mentioned that the United States had deployed Sentinel radars and Bradley vehicles to augment U.S. military in the Eastern Syria Security Area (ESSA).^[306]

2021–present: Developments under Biden administration[]

On February 25, 2021, U.S. military airstrikes commanded by U.S. president Joe Biden 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.^[307]^[308] At least 17 militants were reported killed in the strikes, although the militias only confirmed one.^[309] 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.^[310]

On 28 June 2021, the U.S. military conducted airstrikes on facilities purportedly used by Iranian-supported militias near the Iraq–Syria border.^[311] However, the SOHR stated that at least nine Iran-backed Iraqi militia fighters died, and many others were injured.^[312]

However, there were reports from local population in northeastern Syria that US forces transported oil and wheat smuggled from Syria to Iraq.^[313]

Turkish involvement[]

U.S. and Turkish soldiers conduct joint patrols, Manbij outskirts, 1 November 2018

Turkey, a NATO 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,^[314]^[315] and has been involved in certain spillover incidents, however so far Turkey has not been involved in direct combat. On 2 October 2014, the Turkish Parliament authorized direct military action in both Iraq and Syria including using military force in Syria and Iraq as well as allowing coalition members to use bases in Turkey.^[316] Turkey has also stationed troops and tanks on its southern border near the Syrian border city of Kobanî.^[317] 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.^[318]^[319]

In October 2014, the Turkish Parliament authorized direct military action in both Iraq and Syria, including using military force, as well as allowing Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve members to use bases in Turkey.^[316]^[317]^[318]^[319] The same month, US Vice President Joe Biden accused Turkey of funding al-Nusra and al Qaeda,^[320] after which Turkish President Recep Erdoğan demanded an apology, adding that if no apology was made, Biden would become "history to me."^[321] Biden subsequently apologized.^[322]

On 22 February 2015, the Turkish Army 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 described as an accident. The success of the operation was announced 22 February by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu.^[323]

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.^[324] After the start of the Turkish invasion, U.S. 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."^[325] 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."^[326]

Northern Syria Buffer Zone[]

U.S. and Turkish soldiers rendezvous in the Northern Syria Buffer Zone, 4 October 2019.

On 15 January 2019, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he agreed with setting up a 35 km (22 mi) "safe zone" in northern Syria, after engaging with U.S. President Donald Trump a few days prior.^[327]

On 7 August 2019, after months of negotiations, Turkey and the U.S. reached a deal to create a 115 km (71 mi) buffer zone in northern Syria along the Syria–Turkey border between the Tigris and Euphrates 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 U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. Under the framework of the deal, the U.S. 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.^[328]

The buffer zone agreement was proven to be short-lived and collapsed on 7 October, after U.S. President Donald Trump gave his approval for a Turkish ground offensive into Rojava, and ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria. The agreement was rendered fully obsolete on 9 October, when Turkey launched a ground incursion into Rojava.^[329] In response to the offensive, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham warned that he would “introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if they invade Syria.” He said he would also "call for their suspension from NATO if they attack Kurdish forces who assisted the U.S. in the destruction of the ISIS Caliphate."^[330]

Reports of civilian casualties and war crimes[]

A coalition airstrike on ISIL positions in Kobanî.

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 U.S. strikes hit a grain silo in the ISIL-controlled town of Manbij in northern Syria, killing two civilians.^[331]

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.^[332] The Pentagon reported it had no evidence of any civilian casualties from airstrikes targeting militants in Syria.^[333] The United States has also acknowledged that its rules to avoid civilian casualties are looser in Syria than those for drone strikes elsewhere.^[334]

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.^[335]

According to Reuters, 50 civilians were killed in Syria by US-led airstrikes, from the start of the campaign in late September 2014 to mid-November.^[336] On 28 December 2014, a U.S. airstrike in the northern Syrian town of Al-Bab killed more than 50 civilians.^[337]

On 21 May 2015, the United States admitted it "probably" killed two children in bombings near Harem 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.^[338] 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.^[339] 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.^[340] On 3 August 2016, dozens of civilians were killed after an airstrike in al-Qa'im, some sources claiming that 30 were killed.^[341]

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.^[342]

At least 33 people were killed in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike on a school near Raqqa in March 2017.^[343] On 16 March 2017, a U.S. airstrike in rebel-held Aleppo killed at least 46 people and wounded more than 100 after warplanes hit a mosque.^[344]

A destroyed neighborhood in Raqqa in August 2017

According to a report by Amnesty International, the U.S.-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 U.S.-led Coalition confirmed that "coalition air strikes killed 70 civilians, mostly women and children – including 39 members of a single family."^[345]

According to Airwars,^[346] the strikes of U.S.-led coalition killed as many as 6,000 civilians in Syria and Iraq in 2017.^[347]

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".^[348]^[349]

On 25 April 2019 a joint investigation by Amnesty International 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."^[350]

By April 2021, Airwars estimated 8,311–13,188 civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria due to Coalition airstrikes, including 1,764–2,362 children and 3,714 named victims. The Coalition's own estimate of civilian deaths was 1,410.^[351]

Results[]

An ISIL command and control center before and after an F-22 airstrike on 23 September 2014

The U.S.-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.

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.^[352] Overall, by the end of 2016 the U.S.-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 these losses taking place in Syria.^[39]^[353] By December 2017, the Pentagon increased the estimate to 80,000 ISIL fighters killed by coalition airstrikes between Iraq and Syria.^[354]

By 23 March 2019, the day of ISIL's territorial collapse in Syria, CJTF-OIR and partner forces had liberated nearly 110,000 square kilometers (42,471 square miles) from the Islamic State; as a result, 7.7 million people no longer lived under ISIL's "caliphate".^[355]

The United Nations estimated in August 2020 that over 10,000 ISIL insurgents remained in Syria and Iraq.^[356]

Reactions[]

Domestic U.S. approval[]

The intervention was conducted with strong domestic U.S. 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.^[357] 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."^[358]

A CNN poll conducted between 17–20 October 2019, showed that 75% of Americans were generally concerned about the situation in Syria, with 43% saying they were "very concerned". 51% thought the U.S. had a responsibility to remain involved in the Syrian conflict (seven months after ISIL's final Syrian settlement had fallen), while 43% did not.^[359]

Syrian reactions[]

Syria – 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".^[221] 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.^[360] 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 U.S.-led airstrikes on ISIL while 50% opposed them.^[361] 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.^[362]
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.^[363] Despite Bahra's support, many Syrian rebel groups have criticized U.S. 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.^[334] Meanwhile, jihadist groups within the opposition have portrayed the coalition as an anti-Sunni stooge of the Syrian regime,^[364] while many Sunnis in Syria are angered that only extremist Sunnis are being targeted while mostly Shiite Assad forces are not targeted.^[365] Some rebels defected to extremist groups as a result of the U.S. decision to strike jihadist groups other than ISIL, such as the al-Nusra Front.^[366]

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.^[367]

Australia – Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister of Australia, praised the intervention, saying that an international effort was needed in order to combat the ISIL threat.^[224] Despite Abbott's support for the intervention, the Australian Government said it is not likely to contribute forces to operations in Syria.^[368]
Canada – Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, said in October 2014 Canada would strike ISIL targets in Syria if the Assad government gave approval.^[369] 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.^[370]
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, but also for security and stability in the Czech Republic and Europe.^[371]
Ecuador – The Ecuadorian government opposed the airstrikes in Syria without the consent of the Syrian government.^[372]
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.^[373]^[374]
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.^[375]
Iran – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned ISIL's actions but also called the airstrikes in Syria "illegal" because they were conducted without the consent of the Syrian government.^[376] Iran's deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was reported in Iranian media as saying that Iran had warned the United States that Israel would be at risk should the US and its allies seek to topple Syrian president Bashar al-Assad while fighting ISIL in Syria.^[377]
Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel fully supported the U.S. government's calls for united action against ISIL.^[375]
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.^[378]
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.^[379]
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".^[221] 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 [US-led air campaign] could have smashed the entire [country of] Syria 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.^[380]

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".^[381]

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."^[381]

Turkey – The Davutoglu Government called on the Grand National Assembly of Turkey 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.^[382]
United Kingdom – A spokesperson for British Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK would not rule out airstrikes in Syria against ISIL.^[375] On 26 September 2014 Parliament voted 524 to 43 to approve action inside Iraq.^[383] While visiting Iraqi Kurdistan in mid October, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he saw no immediate demand from U.S. and Arab militaries for Britain to extend its airstrikes to Syria.^[384] 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."^[80]
United States – In November 2019, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. troops to secure the oil fields in eastern Syria, then said any remaining U.S. troops in Syria were there "only for the oil", and that the U.S. was "keeping the oil".^[303]^[385]
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".^[386]
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".^[387]^[388]

References[]

^ "UK forces kill British Isis fighters in targeted drone strike on Syrian city". The Guardian. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015; "Syria air strikes conducted by UK military pilots". BBC News. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015; "SAS troops 'dressed in US uniforms and joined special forces on Isis Abu Sayyaf overnight raid in Syria'". 10 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015; "Surveillance missions over Syria confirmed". Ministry of Defence. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
^ "IS conflict: France launches air strikes in Syria". BBC. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Saudi Arabia, UAE send troops to support Kurds in Syria". Middle East Monitor. 22 November 2018.
^ "The UAE has it in for the Muslim Brotherhood". Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. 22 February 2017. Along with their American counterparts, Emirati special forces are said to be training elements of the opposition. They constitute a kind of Arab guarantee among the Syrian Democratic Forces – an umbrella group dominated by the Kurds of the PYD, on whom the US are relying to fight IS on the ground.
^ "Secondo un'agenzia di stampa turca l'Italia ha inviato delle truppe in Siria a combattere l'Isis". 12 June 2018.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Syria conflict: German MPs vote for anti-IS military mission". BBC. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
^ "German troops deployment and ops in Syria fall within 'right of self-defense', Germany's top court rules". DailySabah. 19 October 2019.
^ "Denmark's decision to withdraw from airstrikes on Syria and Iraq". Middle East Monitor. 6 December 2016.
^ "U.S. applauds Denmark's deploying troops in Syria – Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com.
^ Barton, Rosemary (26 November 2015). "Justin Trudeau to pull fighter jets, keep other military planes in ISIS fight". CBC News. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
^ Barnes, Julian (13 May 2016). "Belgium Plans to Carry Out Airstrikes in Syria Against Islamic State". The Wall Street Journal.
^ Stewart, Phil; Perryl, Tom (22 September 2014). "US, Arab partners launch first strikes on IS in Syria". Reuters. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ "Moroccan F-16 Carry Out Airstrikes Against ISIS". Morocco World News. 10 December 2014.
^ "Australia ends strikes in Iraq and Syria". BBC News. 22 December 2017.
^ "Dutch air mission ends but Peshmerga, Iraqi training continues". Kurdistan24.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Barnard, Anne (29 October 2014). "Reinforcements Enter Besieged Syrian Town via Turkey, Raising Hopes". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
^ "Kurdish fighters and Free Syrian Army clash with IS at strategic border town". Reuters. 30 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Raddatz, Martha; Martinez, Luis; Ferran, Lee (22 September 2014). "U.S. airstrikes hit ISIS inside Syria for first time". ABC News. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ Abdulrahim, Raja (28 November 2014). "Islamic State, rival Al Nusra Front each strengthen grip on Syria". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ "Negotiations failed between the IS, Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic battalions". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ Brunker, Mike (21 November 2014). "War of Words Between al Qaeda and ISIS Continues With Scholar's Smackdown". NBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ "US-led strikes hit Qaeda in Syria as well as IS: Monitor". Al-Ahram. Agence France-Presse. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
^ "U.S. bombs Nusra headquarters in key city on Turkey-Syria border". McClatchy DC. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b E. Barnes, Julian; Dagher, Sam (24 September 2014). "Syria Strikes: U.S. Reports Significant Damage in Attacks on Islamic State, Khorasan". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
^ "28 months of bombing by the international coalition kills more than 6900 persons in Syria, including 820 Syrian civilians". SOHR. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "At least 40 of the jihadi groups were killed after an unidentified targeting of headquarters and meeting of "Wa Harred al-Mu'min" operation room in Idlib countryside". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "About 8 persons mostly commanders of non-Syrian nationalities were killed in aerial bombardment believed to be caused by the International Coalition warplanes that targeted a headquarters of Hurras Al-Din organization in the "Putin – Erdogan" area". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 1 July 2019.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Statement from U.S. Central Command on strike against al-Qaida in Syria". United States Central Command. 30 June 2019.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "An internal struggle: Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate is grappling with its identity". Brookings Institution. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
^ "Air strikes kill 12 fighters in Syria's Idlib: monitor". Reuters. 3 February 2017.
^ "Search for the dead begins in Idlib after Islamic State-linked brigade leaves for Raqqa".
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Caleb Weiss (14 February 2017). "Uighur jihadist fought in Afghanistan, killed in Syria". Long War Journal. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
^ Dziadoszt, Alexander (6 November 2014). Boulton, Ralph (ed.). "Syria's Ahrar al-Sham says coalition strikes on it killed civilians: statement". Reuters. Beirut, Lebanon. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Paton Walsh, Nick; Smith-Spark, Laura (6 November 2014). "Report: Airstrikes target another Islamist group in Syria". CNN. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
^ There was one series of strikes in 2016, intentionality disputed.
^ Wetzel, Gary. "An American F-15E Just Shot Down An Armed Drone Over Syria". Foxtrot Alpha.
^ Hennigan, W. J. "U.S. forces shoot down Iranian drone over Syria as fighting escalates". Los Angeles Times.
^ "US-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria". Airwars. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria". U.S. Department of Defense. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
^ "Obama Administration Ends Effort to Train Syrians to Combat ISIS". The New York Times. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
^ Usher, Sebastian. "Iraq declares war with Islamic State is over". BBC.
^ "Timeline: the Rise, Spread and Fall of the Islamic State". Retrieved 6 May 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b There are four times as many U.S. troops in Syria as previously acknowledged by the Pentagon The Washington Post, 6 December 2017.
^ Rogoway, Tyler. "Shockwaves Sent Through Tattered US-Russian Relationship After US Downs Syrian Jet". The Drive.
^ Swann, Glenn; Sheehy, Finbarr; Levett, Cath; Fidler, Matt (31 October 2019). "Visual guide to the raid that killed Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi" – via www.theguardian.com.
^ "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: IS leader 'killed in US operation' in Syria". BBC News. 27 October 2019.
^ Abdelhak Mamoun (3 May 2015). "ISIS leader al-Baghdadi is incapacitated, says the Guardian". Iraq News.
^ "Report: A former physics teacher is now leading ISIS – Business Insider". Business Insider. 23 April 2015.
^ "Military Skill and Terrorist Technique Fuel Success of ISIS". The New York Times. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Alessandria Masi (11 November 2014). "If ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Killed, Who Is Caliph Of The Islamic State Group?". International Business Times.
^ "Kadyrov Claims Red-Bearded Chechen Militant al-Shishani Dead". ElBalad. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.
^ "Kadyrov Says Islamic State's Leader From Georgia Killed". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 14 November 2014.
^ "U.S. confirms death of ISIS operative Omar al-Shishani". CNN. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
^ "Official: Top ISIS Military Commander Believed Dead". ABC News. 14 March 2016.
^ Antonopoulos, Paul (26 February 2017). "BREAKING: Al-Qaeda's deputy leader killed in Idlib drone strike".
^ Marcy Kreiter (26 February 2017). "War On Terror: Who Is Abu Khayr al-Masri? Al Qaeda Second In Command Killed In Drone Strike In Syria". International Business Times.
^ "Syria's Qaeda leader killed in explosion – ARA News". ARA News. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.
^ "Air strike kills top commander of former Nusra group in Syria". Reuters. 9 September 2016.
^ "Syrian Nusra Front's Abu Firas killed in suspected drone strike: rebels". Reuters. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
^ "Al-Qaeda top official killed in American strike northern Syria – ARA News". 4 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016.
^ "Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on Strike against al-Qaida Leader". US Department of Defense. 3 October 2016.
^ Maclean, William (28 September 2014). "Khorasan leader killed by US air strike in Syria last week, Al-Qaida member tweets". Haaretz. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Starr, Barbara; Cruickshank, Paul (10 December 2014). "Officials: Khorasan Group bomb maker thought dead survived". CNN. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Key al-Qaeda figure Muhsin al-Fadhli killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria – Pentagon". BNO News. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
^ Starr, Barbara; Hume, Tim (18 October 2015). "Al Qaeda leader killed in U.S. airstrike, Pentagon says – CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
^ "French jihadist Drugeon killed in Syria: US official". AFP. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
^ "Syria rebels name slain leader's replacement". Al Jazeera English. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
^ "Syria rebels name slain leader's replacement". Al Jazeera English. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
^ "Abu Yahia al-Hamawi, Ahrar al-Sham's New Leader". Syria Comment. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Miklaszewski, Jim; Kube, Courtney; Cheikh Omar, Ammar; Arkin, Daniel (22 September 2014). "US, Arab Allies Strike ISIS in Syria". NBC News. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
^ Simoes, Hendrick (16 October 2014). "USS Carl Vinson set to take over airstrikes in Syria, Iraq". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
^ Sciutto, Jim; Castillo, Mariano; Yan, Holly (22 September 2014). "US airstrikes hit ISIS inside Syria for first time". CNN. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
^ Barnes, Julian (22 September 2014). "U.S., Arab Allies Launch Strikes Against Militant Targets In Syria". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
^ Harress, Christopher (23 September 2014). "The A-10 Thunderbolt, Saved By Congress, Joins Airstrikes Against ISIS In Syria". International Business Times. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
^ Harress, Christopher (24 September 2014). "US Airstrikes In Syria Against ISIS May Cost As Much As $10 Billion". International Business Times. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
^ Sanchez, Raf; Sherlock, Ruth (8 September 2014). "Predator drones being flown over Isil's Syrian 'capital'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Partner Nations Contributions Summary". Justin Fishel. Twitter. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e La France a réalisé 12% des frappes non-américaines contre l'EI (Pentagone), AFP, 18 November 2015.
^ Chammal : Point de situation au 10 septembre, Ministère de la Défense, 21 September 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Britain to use surveillance drones in Syria". Deutsche Welle. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
^ "Surveillance missions over Syria confirmed". Ministry of Defence. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
^ "Denmark to pull F-16 fighter jets from Syria and Iraq". Reuters. 2 December 2016 – via www.reuters.com.
^ "French Carrier Strike Group Joins Operations Against Islamic State – Central Command". UrduPoint.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Islamic State crisis: Syria rebel forces boost Kobane defence". BBC News. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
^ "US deepening involvement in Syria's war against ISIS". 23 March 2017.
^ Daniels, Jeff (27 February 2017). "Pentagon delivers plan to speed up fight against ISIS, possibly boosting US troops in Syria".
^ Correspondent, Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon. "US Marines join local forces fighting in Raqqa".
^ Snow, Shawn (8 February 2018). "These Marines in Syria fired more artillery than any battalion since Vietnam".
^ Zaretsky, Robert. "France's Existential Loneliness in Syria".
^ "Will the Islamic State last through 2015?". Today's Zaman. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
^ "Syria crisis: Spooked by rebel gains, Jordan doubles down on Islamic State". 4 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
^ Cockburn, Patrick (16 November 2014). "Islamic State has 200,000 fighters, claims Kurdish leader". The Independent. Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Retrieved 22 December 2014.^{[dead link]}
^ "Islamic State 'training pilots to fly fighter jets'". BBC News. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
^ Mezzofiore, Gianluca (17 October 2014). "ISIS Syria News: Iraqi Pilots 'Training Isis Fighters' to Fly Captured Planes". International Business Times. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
^ "US-led forces drop nearly 5,000 bombs on ISIS". Al Arabiya. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
^ Smith, Hannah Lucinda (4 October 2014). "Fears of massacre as Isis tanks lead assault on Kurdish bastion". The Times.
^ Bergen, Peter; Schneider, Emily (24 August 2014). "Now ISIS has drones?". CNN. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ "Footage From an ISIS Drone". The New York Times. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
^ E Shoichet, Catherine (27 October 2014). "Hostage in video claims Syrian city of Kobani is under ISIS control". CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
^ Al-awsat, Asharq (30 January 2017). "Syria: Surfacing of 'Hai'at Tahrir al-Sham' Threatens Truce – ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English". Archived from the original on 15 February 2017.
^ Stewart, Phil (4 September 2018). "Top U.S. general warns against major assault on Syria's Idlib". Reuters.
^ Raddatz, Martha; Martinez, Luis (7 October 2014). "Airstrikes in Syria That Targeted Khorasan Group Disrupted Plots Against US, Gen. Dempsey Says". ABC News. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
^ Charkatli, Izat (23 February 2017). "Over 2,000 radical rebels defect to ISIS following intra-rebel deal". al-Masdar.
^ Moubayed, Sami (29 January 2017). "Is Syria's Idlib being groomed as Islamist killing ground?". Asia Times.
^ "Syrian opposition merger in Jan 2017". archicivilians. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
^ "Syria military strength". Global Fire Power. 17 October 2015.
^ 8 US Military, 1 DOD civilian
^ http://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "Army identifies U.S. soldier killed in Syria". The Washington Times.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Watson Institute International and Public Affairs- Brown University Human Cost of Post-9/11 Wars. November 2019" (PDF).
^ "Pilot killed as U.S. F-16 crashes in Jordan". www.f-16.net.
^ Sisk, Richard (31 October 2017). "2 Troops Injured in Non-Combat V-22 Crash in Syria". Military.com.
^ Roblin, Sebastien (21 June 2019). "A War Begins? How Iran Shot Down a U.S. RQ-4N Surveillance Drone". The National Interest.
^ Swarts, Phillip (7 August 2017). "Reaper down: MQ-9 crashes in Syria". airforcetimes.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
^ "Air Force: Lost Predator was shot down in Syria". airforcetimes. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
^ Adams, Paul (3 February 2015). "Jordan pilot hostage Moaz al-Kasasbeh 'burned alive'". BBC News. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
^ "Jordan pilot ejected over Syria after 'technical failure'". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
^ "Drones Are Dropping Like Flies From the Sky Over Syria".
^ "UK soldier killed in Syria named". BBC News. 31 March 2018.
^ "Two British special forces soldiers injured by Isis in Syria". 6 January 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
^ "French soldier killed in Iraq-Syria military zone, Élysée Palace says". France 24. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "In one month, International Coalition limits its control to oil fields, and Russia becomes a new player in northern and northeastern Syria". SOHR. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
^ "U.S. Airstrike Kills More Than 100 al-Qaida Fighters in Syria". US Department of Defense. 20 January 2017.
^ "62 months of the "international coalition" operations in Syria: Killing "al-Baghdadi" the biggest achievement after the US withdrawal, new bases and goals in East Euphrates and joint operations with SDF to "fight IS cells" • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 23 November 2019.
^ "US-led air strikes hit al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria". The Irish Times. Reuters. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
^ "Pentagon: 11 al Qaeda terrorists killed in airstrikes near Idlib, Syria". the Long War Journal. 8 February 2017.
^ 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.
^ "About 220 casualties and wounded of the Russian security companies, the regime forces and their allies in Coalition's bombing and the explosion of a warehouse of the Russian protection forces east of Euphrates • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 14 February 2018.
^ Christopher Woody (6 June 2017). "The US-led coalition destroyed more pro-Assad forces at a growing hotspot in the Syrian desert". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
^ "U.S. aircraft conduct strike on Syrian army convoy". CBS News. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
^ U.S. airstrike destroys Russian-made tank used by pro-Syria forces Archived 2018-02-13 at the Wayback Machine NBC News, 13 February 2018.
^ "Nine Syrian planes destroyed by US strike on airfield". ITV News. 7 April 2017.
^ Here's The Definitive Account Of The Syrian Su-22 Shoot Down From The Pilots Themselves.
^ "ISI first to analyze Shayrat airfield missile attack". ImageStat International. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
^ "F-15E Shot Down "Predator-Sized" Drone That Attacked Coalition Forces In Syria". The Drive. 8 June 2017.
^ "US 'downs Iranian-made drone' over Syria". BBC News. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
^ "Al-Assad's legacy in 3rd presidential term | over 371,000 people killed…unprecedented economic collapse…foreign interventions and large spread of drugs • the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights". 25 May 2021.
^ "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". syriahr.com. 23 May 2019.
^ "More than 570 thousand people were killed on the Syrian territory within 8 years of revolution demanding freedom, democracy, justice, and equality". syriahr.com. 15 March 2019.
^ "Most US Airstrikes in Syria Target a City That's Not a "Strategic Objective" – Mother Jones". Mother Jones.
^ At least 20,000 civilians displaced during the Al-Hasakah offensive (February–March 2015); 5,000+ in the Khabur Valley region,[1] and 15,000+ in the Tell Hamis region [2]
^ Hubbard, Ben (24 September 2014). "At Least 500 Militants Killed in U.S.-Led Strikes in Syria, Observer Group Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Goldman, Mark Mazzetti, Adam; Schmidt, Michael S. (2 August 2017). "Behind the Sudden Death of a $1 Billion Secret C.I.A. War in Syria". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
^ "President Obama: "We Will Degrade and Ultimately Destroy ISIL"". whitehouse.gov. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014 – via National Archives.
^ Saul, Heather (23 September 2014). "Syria air strike: Twitter user Abdulkader Hariri live tweets US Islamic State attack 'before Pentagon breaks news'". The Independent. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ Miklaszewski, Jim; Vinograd, Cassandra (23 September 2014). "U.S. Bombs ISIS Sites in Syria and Targets Khorasan Group". NBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
^ Thompson, Mark. "Why More Airstrikes Won't Beat ISIS." Time. 17 November 2015.
^ Ackerman, Spencer; Jacobs, Ed Pilkington Ben; Washington, Julian Borger in (7 April 2017). "Syria missile strikes: US launches first direct military action against Assad". Retrieved 1 September 2017 – via The Guardian.
^ 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.
^ "Trump agrees to an indefinite military effort and new diplomatic push in Syria, U.S. officials say". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
^ Mark Landler; Helene Cooper; Eric Schmitt (19 December 2018). "Trump Withdraws U.S. Forces From Syria, Declaring 'We Have Won Against ISIS'". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2018. Defense Department officials said that Mr. Trump had ordered that the withdrawal be completed in 30 days.
^ W.J. Hennigan (19 December 2018). "The U.S. Will Withdraw From Syria. No One's Sure What Comes Next". Time. Retrieved 20 December 2018. President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. military to withdraw all 2,200 American ground troops from Syria within 30 days, marking a swift end to the four-year-long conflict against ISIS there.
^ Julian Borger; Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent (20 December 2018). "Trump shocks allies and advisers with plan to pull US troops out of Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2018. Reuters quoted a US official as saying the troop pullout would take between 60 and 100 days.
^ "US looking for allies to replace it in Syria, says Sen Graham". 15 February 2019.
^ "About 200 U.S. peacekeepers are to remain in Syria". CBS News. 21 February 2019.
^ 5 Things to Know About the Fight Against ISIS in Syria. U.S. Department of Defense. 20 December 2018.
^ "US-allied Syrian force declares victory over Islamic State". The Washington Post. 23 March 2019.
^ "ISIS leader killed in daring U.S. raid in Syria, Trump says". POLITICO.
^ "Trump makes way for Turkey operation against Kurds in Syria". BBC. 7 October 2019.
^ "Not over yet: New US Syria mission after al-Baghdadi death". Associated Press.
^ "No 'End Date' for U.S. Troops in Syria". 25 November 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
^ Naiman, Robert (15 September 2015). "Chapter 10 "Syria"". The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to US Empire. Verso Books – Random House. ISBN 978-1-78168-944-8.
^ Hersh, Seymour M. (7 January 2016). "Military to Military". London Review of Books. pp. 11–14. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
^ Holliday, Joseph (December 2011). "The Struggle for Syria in 2011 – An Operational and Regional Analysis" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
^ Abouzeid, Rania (23 June 2014). "The Jihad Next Door – The roots of Iraq's newest civil war". Politico. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
^ "US axes $500m scheme to train Syrian rebels, says NYT". The Guardian. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
^ "Secret CIA effort in Syria faces large funding cut". The Washington Post. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
^ U.S. Considers Resuming Nonlethal Aid to Syrian Opposition, By MARK LANDLER, 9, January 2014
^ "U.S. Weaponry Is Turning Syria Into Proxy War With Russia". The New York Times. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
^ Bowman, Tom; Fordham, Alice (23 April 2014). "CIA Is Quietly Ramping Up Aid To Syrian Rebels, Sources Say". NPR. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
^ Spencer, Richard (17 February 2014). "US-backed head of Free Syria Army voted out". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
^ Youssef, Nancy A. (26 May 2014). "Syrian Rebels Describe U.S.-Backed Training in Qatar". PBS – Frontline. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
^ Hersh, Seymour (7 January 2016). "Military to Military". London Review of Books. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Amos, Deborah (17 September 2014). "After A Long Wait, Syrian Rebels Hope The Weapons Will Now Flow". NPR. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
^ "Syria opposition says it backs rebel fight against al-Qaeda". Al Arabiya. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
^ Perry, Tom; Stewart, Phil (30 September 2014). Nakhoul, Samia (ed.). "U.S.-led air strikes pose problem for Assad's moderate foes". Reuters. Reyhanlı, Turkey. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Barnes, Julian E.; Entous, Adam (17 February 2015). "U.S. to Give Some Syria Rebels Ability to Call Airstrikes". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
^ "House Grudgingly Approves Arms for Syrian Rebels". New York Post. Associated Press. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
^ Zengerle, Patricia; Lawder, David (18 September 2014). "U.S. Congress approves arming Syrian rebels, funding government". Reuters. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ Szep, Jason; Stewart, Phil; Spetalnick, Matt (15 September 2014). McBride, Janet (ed.). "Syria's 'moderate' rebels say they need weapons, not training". Reuters. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Sherlock, Ruth; Malouf, Carol; Ensor, Josie (21 August 2014). "The failed US mission to try and rescue James Foley from Islamic State terrorists". The Daily Telegraph. Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
^ Hennessey, Kathleen; Hennigan, W.J. (22 August 2014). "Rising danger prompted U.S. effort to rescue James Foley, other hostages". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
^ Botelho, Greg (14 September 2014). "ISIS executes British aid worker David Haines; Cameron vows justice". CNN. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
^ Pace, Julie (25 August 2014). "AP source: Obama backs surveillance over Syria". Salon. Associated Press. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
^ Entous, Adam; E. Barnes, Julian; Nissenbaum, Dion (25 August 2014). "U.S. Lays Groundwork for Syria Strike". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b The international coalition to counter ISIL/Da'esh (the 'Islamic State') 17 March 2015.
^ D.C., Embassy of France in the United States, Washington. "International Conference on Iraq in Paris (09/15/14)". France in the United States / Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
^ ‘U.S. Forms Anti-ISIS Coalition at NATO Summit’. Time, 5 September 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
^ FACT SHEET: Strategy to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) The White House, 10 September 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ‘Joint Statement Issued by Partners at the Counter-ISIL Coalition Ministerial Meeting’. United States Department of State, 3 December 2014.
^ "Petition calls on White House to officially arm YPG". Today's Zaman. Ankara, Turkey. 12 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ Beck, John (20 October 2014). "US Airdrops Weapons to Kobanî, Turkey to Allow Kurdish Peshmerga Into Town". Vice News. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
^ Pandey; Avaneesh (20 October 2014). "Turkey Shifts Stance To Help Iraqi Kurds Join Fight Against ISIS In Syria's Kobani". International Business Times. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Cooper, Hayden (28 October 2014). "Islamic State: Kurdish Peshmerga troops leave Iraq to join battle in Kobane". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 28 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Walker, Brian (20 October 2014). "U.S. airdrops weapons, medical supplies to fighters in Kobani". CNN. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
^ "Islamic State: US probes 'stray Syria air drop' in IS video". BBC News. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
^ "One Airdrop to Kurds Fighting in Kobani Intercepted". United States Department of Defense. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
^ Schwartz, Felicia; Entous, Adam; Albayrak, Ayla (10 October 2014). "Turkey to Help Train and Equip Moderate Syrian Rebels". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ "US to send 400 troops to train Syrian rebels". BBC News. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "U.S. identifies 1,200 potential fighters for Syria training". Reuters. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
^ Plesser, Ben; Cheikh Omar, Ammar; McClam, Erin (20 September 2014). "Who Are the Syrian Rebels the U.S. Wants to Arm and Train?". NBC News. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ "US will 'protect' Syrian rebels when time comes: envoy". AFP. 22 February 2015.
^ "UK troops to train moderate Syrian opposition". United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
^ "UK to give military training to 'moderate Syria forces'". BBC News. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
^ "Turkey, US to start train-and-equip plan for Syria rebels May 9: Ankara". TDS. Reuters. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
^ Afanasieva, Dasha (25 May 2015). "Turkey says deal with US on air support for Syria rebels". The Daily Star. Reuters. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
^ "Syrian Opposition Fighters Withdraw from US 'Train and Equip' Program". The Syrian Observer. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
^ "Syrian commander of U.S.-trained fighters is kidnapped by Al-Qaida affiliate". The New York Times. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
^ Mehmed Cavid Barkçin (15 July 2015). "First group of FSA soldiers trained by U.S., Turkey enters Syria". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
^ Jim Miklaszewski (16 September 2015). "Small number of U.S.-trained Syrian rebels still fighting". NBC News. Retrieved 26 September 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
^ Jeremy Binnie, Neil Gibson (8 April 2016). "US arms shipment to Syrian rebels detailed". Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
^ Malone, Paul (10 July 2016). "Save us from the Dr Strangeloves". Canberra Times. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
^ Ivan Angelovski; Miranda Patrucic; Lawrence Marzouk (27 July 2016). "Revealed: the £1bn of weapons flowing from Europe to Middle East". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
^ Lawrence Marzouk; Ivan Angelovski; Miranda Patrucic (27 July 2016). "Making a Killing: The 1.2 Billion Euro Arms Pipeline to Middle East". BalkanInsight. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
^ Jeremy Binnie (7 June 2016). "IS seizes Saudi weapons from Syrian rebels". Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
^ Trump ends CIA arms support for anti-Assad Syria rebels: U.S. officials Reuters, 19 July 2017.
^ Jaffe, Greg; Entous, Adam (20 July 2017). "Trump halts covert arming of Syria rebels, a move likely to please Russia". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
^ Syria war: Trump 'ends CIA arms programme for rebels' BBC, 20 July 2017.
^ "Obama outlines plan to target IS fighters". Al Jazeera. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
^ Miller, Zake (10 September 2014). "Obama Says U.S. Will Bomb ISIS in Syria, Train Rebels". Time. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Russia warns US against strikes on Islamic State in Syria". BBC News. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
^ O'Keefe, Ed (17 September 2014). "House approves Obama's Iraq-Syria military strategy amid skepticism". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ Carter, Chelsea J.; Starr, Barbara (19 September 2014). "Obama: ISIS threat against U.S., allies 'doesn't frighten us'". CNN. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Pande, Aru; Babb, Carl (23 September 2014). "US: Syria Won't, Can't Stop Militant Safe Havens". Voice of America. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ Hafezi, Parisa; Charbonneau, Louis; Mohammed, Arshad (23 September 2014). Goller, Howard (ed.). "Exclusive: U.S. told Iran of intent to strike Islamic State in Syria". Reuters. United Nations, New York City. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ "Trudeau to Obama: Canada to pull out of bombing campaign against ISIS". CNN. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
^ "Airstrike operations cease in Iraq and Syria". Government of Canada. 18 February 2016.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Levis, Josh; Cruickshank, Paul; Lister, Time (23 September 2014). "Source: Al Qaeda group in Syria plotted attack against U.S. with explosive clothes". CNN. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Mazzetti, Mark (24 September 2014). "A terror cell that avoided the spotlight". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Ackerman, Spencer (25 September 2014). "US officials unclear on threat posed by obscure al-Qaida cell in Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
^ "US bombs Al-Qaeda offshoot Khorasan for third time". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
^ "Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq". United States Department of Defense. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
^ "Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq". United States Department of Defense. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ "Nusra Front quietly rises in Syria as ISIS targeted". Al Arabiya. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
^ Brooks, Rosa (26 September 2014). "Why Obama's assurance of 'no boots on the ground' isn't so reassuring". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ Diamond, Jeremy (16 September 2014). "When are troops 'advisers' and when are they 'boots on the ground'?". CNN. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ Michaels, Jim (25 September 2014). "Analysis: Syria will test no-boots-on-ground strategy". USA Today. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ BAKER, PETER; COOPER, HELENE (30 October 2015). "Obama Sends Special Operations Forces to Help Fight ISIS in Syria". The New York Times. WASHINGTON. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
^ Kesling, Ben; Entous, Adam; Paletta, Damian (25 March 2016). "Senior Islamic State Leader Killed". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
^ Morgan, Tom (25 March 2016). "Leaked report: SAS on ground in Libya for months". The Daily Telegraph.
^ "Pentagon chief praises Kurdish fighters in Syria". Hurriyet Daily News. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
^ "U.S. Troops 18 Miles from ISIS Capital". The Daily Beast. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
^ "The new coalition to destroy the Islamic State". The Washington Post). 22 May 2016.
^ "US sending arms to Kurdish-led SDF in Syria, Turkey's Erdogan outraged". ARA News. 25 September 2016. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016.
^ "US general: Syrian Democratic Forces will lead the assault on Raqqa". Stars and Stripes. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
^ "American Is Killed in First Casualty for U.S. Forces in Syria Combat". The New York Times. 24 November 2016.
^ "More troops in Syria: Trump orders boots on the ground to battle ISIS". Salon. 10 March 2017.
^ These Marines in Syria fired more artillery than any battalion since Vietnam. Marines Corps Times. 6 February 2018.
^ "US establishes large military base in oil-rich Syrian province – SDF". Al Masdar News. 27 March 2018.
^ "U.S. Bases On Syrian Oilfields Receive New Equipment". 21 March 2018.
^ "Trump blames Putin, Obama for 'Animal Assad,' tweets 'big price' after reports of Syrian chemical attack". CNN. 9 April 2018.
^ "Bashar al Assad goes old school in response to Trump's 'animal' insult". Sky News. 31 May 2018.
^ Trevithick, Joseph [@FranticGoat] (6 June 2018). "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" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 June 2018 – via Twitter.
^ "441st Air Expeditionary Squadron Civil Engineer Runway Repair". United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
^ "Pictures: First Seen Ever Images Of Mini US Airbase In Syria's Al-Raqqa". Muraselon. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Nevertheless, opposition media said that the US airbase is located in “Sarrin” in the western countryside of Al-Raqqa.
^ Trump, Donald J. (19 December 2018). "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency". @realDonaldTrump. Retrieved 19 December 2018.^{[better source needed]}
^ Haberman, Maggie (2 January 2019). "Trump Says Mattis Resignation Was 'Essentially' a Firing, Escalating His New Front Against Military Critics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
^ "Trump says Syria is 'sand and death' in defence of troop withdrawal". Independent. 3 January 2019.
^ "Bolton Puts Conditions on Plan for Withdrawal From Syria – RealClearPolitics". www.realclearpolitics.com.
^ "4 Americans among those killed by explosion in Syria". NBC News.
^ "U.S. troops killed in Syria suicide attack claimed by ISIS". www.cbsnews.com.
^ "'IS attack' kills US troops in Syria". BBC News. 16 January 2019.
^ Turak, Natasha (17 January 2019). "ISIS-claimed attack on Americans in Syria renews criticism of Trump". www.cnbc.com.
^ "Trump offers 'deepest condolences' after deaths of 4 Americans in Syria as Pence reiterates plan to withdraw". The Washington Post.
^ "Trump Pays Tribute to Americans Killed in Syria Attack". 19 January 2019.
^ "Suicide attack on Kurdish-US convoy in Syria kills 5: monitor". Arab News. 21 January 2019.
^ "US sends additional troops to Syria to prepare for withdrawal". CNN. 24 January 2018.
^ Desk, News (28 January 2019). "Breaking: Over 600 US troops arrive in Syria despite Trump's withdrawal announcement".
^ "White House decision looms as US military continues with Syria withdrawal plan". ABC News. 9 February 2019.
^ "IS fighters held in Syria 'time bomb': SDF". 18 February 2019.
^ "U.S. to leave about 200 troops in Syria, White House says". NBC News. 21 February 2019.
^ "US pushes NATO allies to join observer force in Syria". Fox News. 22 February 2019.
^ "No pressure to withdraw from Syria by specific date: US general". 7 March 2019.
^ "U.S. Troops Leaving Syria, but Some May Stay Longer Than Expected". The New York Times. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
^ "US forces attack Syrian gov't oil transport in Euphrates region". Al-Masdar News. 10 May 2019.
^ "In Syria, Russia Is Pleased to Fill an American Void". The New York Times. 15 October 2019.
^ "Turkey Rejects U.S. Call for Immediate Cease-Fire in Syria". The Wall Street Journal. 16 October 2019.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "US conducts airstrike on weapons storage site as troops pull out of Syria". CNN. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^ "Russian troops rush to fill void left by U.S. troops in northern Syria". CBS News. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^ "What it means for American bases in Syria to be occupied by Syrian and Russian forces". Military Times. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^ "US jets destroy anti-ISIS coalition base in Syria after withdrawal, official says". Fox News. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^ "Trump's indifferent to new fighting in Syria: 'There's a lot of sand there that they can play with'". The Washington Post. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
^ "US Intel Aircraft to Remain Over Syria As Ground Forces Pull Out". Defense One. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "U.S. sending armored vehicles into Syria to protect oil fields, Pentagon chief confirms". Politico. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Hundreds of U.S. Troops Leaving, and Also Arriving in, Syria". The New York Times. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
^ "Assad praises Trump as 'most transparent president' after Syria troop withdrawal". The Independent. 3 November 2019.
^ "Americans Finally Left Aleppo Province!". Islamic World News. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
^ "Joint chiefs chair: Fewer than 1,000 troops will remain in Syria". The Hill. 10 November 2019.
^ "Russia establishes new foothold in Syria amid spike in violence". CBS News. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
^ "Russian troops take command of U.S. airbase in northern Syria". CBS News. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
^ "U.S. military completes pullback from northeast Syria, Esper says". Reuters. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
^ "Meet the US Army team that helped withdraw from Syria as the ISIS fight drags on". Business Insider. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
^ Hassan, Mohammed (January 2020). "Arab Tribes in al-Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor Choose Their Allies". Chatham House. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Army National Guard Bradley Fighting Vehicles Are Now In Syria Guarding Oil And Gas Fields". The Drive. 31 October 2019.
^ Trevithick, Joseph. "American Bradley Armored Vehicles Were Pulled Out of Syria After Less Than Two Months". The Drive.
^ "Artillery fire lands near American troops in Syria". Military Times. 4 November 2019.
^ "U.S. Special Ops Soldier Talks To Reporter In Syrian Oil Fields As Mission Remains In Flux". The Drive. 4 November 2019.
^ "Large US military convoy enters northeastern Syria from Iraq: photos". Al-Masdar News. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
^ "Reports: Tensions Grow Between US, Russian Forces in Northeast Syria". VOA News. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
^ "Syria war: American troops hurt as Russian and US military vehicles collide". BBC. 27 August 2020.
^ "US oil company signs deal with Syrian Kurds". Al-Monitor. 30 July 2020.
^ "Syria says U.S. oil firm signed deal with Kurdish-led rebels". Reuters. 2 August 2020.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Baldor, Lolita (6 November 2019). "Trump OKs wider Syria oil mission, raising legal questions". AP News.
^ "Syria says U.S. forces clash with Syrian troops, killing 1". ABC News. 17 August 2020.
^ "US deploys additional troops and armoured vehicles to eastern Syria". The Guardian. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
^ "US sends Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Syria to boost security for troops following Russian encounter". ABC News. 19 September 2020.
^ "U.S. carries out airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia facilities in Syria: Pentagon". Reuters. 26 February 2021.
^ "US carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia in Syria". ABC News. 26 February 2021.
^ "US attacks 'Iranian-backed military infrastructure' in Syria". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2021.
^ "US carries out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian backed militias". CNN. 26 February 2021.
^ "U.S. airstrikes target Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq". Politico. 27 June 2021.
^ "Death toll update – Nine militiamen of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces killed in US airstrikes near Syria-Iraq border • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 28 June 2021.
^ "Syria Accuses US Forces of Smuggling Wheat, Oil to Iraq". Asharq Al-Awsat. 12 May 2021.
^ Kim Sengupta (12 May 2015). "Turkey and Saudi Arabia alarm the West by backing Islamist extremists the Americans had bombed in Syria". The Independent.
^ "Gulf allies and 'Army of Conquest". Al-Ahram Weekly. 28 May 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Turkey greenlights military ops in Syria, Iraq". Al Arabiya. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Tait, Robert (29 September 2014). "ISIL jihadists bombard Syrian border town despite allied air strikes". The Daily Telegraph. Mürşitpınar, Turkey. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Turkey's Syria buffer zone idea not well received". China Central Television. Xinhua News Agency. 11 October 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "For Obama, enforcing no-fly zone in Syria would mean war or cooperation with Assad government". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
^ "Joe Biden Is the Only Honest Man in Washington". Foreign Policy. 7 October 2014.
^ Carter, Chelsea J.; Brumfield, Ben; Mazloumsaki, Sara (6 October 2014). "Vice President Joe Biden apologises to Turkey, UAE". CNN.
^ "Joe Biden apologised over IS remarks, but was he right?". BBC News. 7 October 2014.
^ "Turkey enters Syria to evacuate Suleyman Shah tomb". BBC News. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
^ "In Turkey, soaring support for Syrian offensive and rising anti-Americanism". The Washington Post. 4 February 2018.
^ Turkey has legitimate security concerns: Mattis Archived 15 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Hürriyet Daily News. 22 January 2018.
^ Turkey to US: Stop YPG support or face 'confrontation' Archived 13 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Al Jazeera. 25 January 2018.
^ "Erdogan: Turkey to set up 'security zone' in Syria". www.aljazeera.com.
^ Reuters (27 August 2019). "SDF and Kurdish YPG Forces to Pull From Turkey-Syria Border Strip: SDF". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
^ Pitarakis, Lefteris; Mroue, Bassem. "Turkey launches assault on Kurdish fighters in Syria, after US forces step aside". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
^ "Lindsey Graham turns on Trump over 'disaster' Syria move". The Independent. 7 October 2019.
^ "US-led airstrikes hit four Syrian provinces, activists claim civilians killed". Fox News. Associated Press. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
^ "ISIL closes in on border town with Turkey". Al Jazeera English. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
^ Wong, Kristina (29 September 2014). "Pentagon: No evidence airstrikes killed civilians". The Hill. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Unintended consequences: Are U.S.-led air strikes creating a Sunni backlash?". The Economist. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
^ Becatoros, Elena; Hadid, Dia (18 October 2014). "U.S. Coalition Airstrike On ISIS Gas Station Kills 8 In Syria: Activists". Huffington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
^ Westall, Sylvia (12 November 2014). Chopra, Toby (ed.). "U.S.-led strikes have killed 865 people in Syria, 50 civilians: monitor". Reuters. Beirut, Lebanon. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
^ Pandey, Avaneesh (12 January 2015). "Northern Syria Coalition Airstrike Killed At Least 50 Civilians In December: Report". International Business Times. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
^ "Syria crisis: 'Children died' in US air strike". BBC News. 22 May 2015.
^ Alexander, David (21 May 2015). "U.S. admits two children killed in Islamic State campaign". Reuters India.
^ "Dozens of civilians killed in alleged U.S. coalition strikes in Syria". CBS News. Associated Press. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
^ "Aerial bombing in Anbar kills civilians – Iraqi News".
^ "Civilian and 'friendly fire' casualties". airwars.org. Retrieved 19 April 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.
^ US claims Syria strike, denies hitting mosque where 46 killed. Yahoo News. 18 March 2017.
^ "Syria: US-led Coalition 'deeply in denial' about civilian casualties in Raqqa" – via Amnesty International.
^ US-led coalition killed up to 6000 civilians in fight against IS: watchdog says. The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 January 2018.
^ "Civilian deaths tripled in U.S.-led campaign against ISIS in 2017, watchdog alleges. The Washington Post. 18 January 2018.
^ "Syria war: MoD admits civilian died in RAF strike on Islamic State". BBC News.
^ "Syria: RAF admits drone strike killed civilian in attack targeting Isis". The Guardian.
^ "Groups say airstrikes by US-led coalition killed 1,600 civilians in Raqqa". MilitaryTimes. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
^ "US-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria". Airwars. December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
^ Jim Michaels, "ISIL loses 45% of territory in Iraq, 20% in Syria ", USA Today, 19 May 2016.
^ Barbara Starr. "Military: 50,000 ISIS fighters killed". CNN. 9 December 2016.
^ "Once promised paradise, ISIS fighters end up in mass graves". The Straits Times. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
^ "CJTFOIR Strike Releases March 26 2019" (PDF). CJTF-OIR. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
^ "Over 10,000 Islamic State fighters active in Iraq, Syria as attacks 'significantly' increase: UN". Military Times. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
^ Gallup Polling. 24 April 2018.
^ Americans Support Military Action in Syria Against ISIS. Chicago Council On Foreign Affairs. 15 August 2016.
^ "CNN Poll: Most Americans are concerned about Syria and think it's likely ISIS will reemerge". CNN. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
^ Karam, Zeina (30 September 2014). "Syrian Foreign Minister: The US Said 'We Are Not After The Syrian Army' Before Airstrikes". Business Insider. Associated Press. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
^ Friedhoff, Karl. "Middle East Polling Roundup." The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. 30 December 2015.
^ "ORB/IIACSS POLL IN IRAQ AND SYRIA GIVES RARE INSIGHT INTO PUBLIC OPINION." ORB International July 2015. PDF link (see table 2).
^ Karam, Zeina (22 September 2014). "Syrian Opposition Chief Urges Airstrikes in Syria". Associated Press. Retrieved 4 October 2014. We must begin airstrikes in Syria — immediately as we speak. Time is of essence to avert catastrophe
^ "The will and the way: The coalition may already be losing the fight against Islamic State". The Economist. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ "Rapidly unravelling: Bashar Assad's impunity is undermining the fight against Islamic State". The Economist. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ "Can hell be frozen over?: A limited UN ceasefire plan has little hope of success". The Economist. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
^ America's Global Image. Pew Research Center. June 2015.
^ "Islamic State: PM Tony Abbott says Government to decide in coming days on order to join Iraq air strikes". ABC News (Australia). 26 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
^ Bolen, Michael (3 October 2014). "Harper Says Canada Will Bomb ISIS In Syria If Murderous Despot Asks Him To". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
^ Mullen, CNN, Jethro (21 October 2015). "Canada to pull out of bombing campaign against ISIS". CNN. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
^ "Ministr Zaorálek podpořil mezinárodní úsilí v boji proti tzv. Islámskému státu" (in Czech). Government of the Czech Republic. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
^ "Cancillería ecuatoriana califica como 'inaceptable' la ofensiva contra Siria". El Comercio (in Spanish). 25 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
^ Morris, Loveday (23 September 2014). "Arab backing for U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria widens front against Islamic State". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
^ Morello, Carol; Gearan, Anne (23 September 2014). "Around world, mixed reactions to U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Koplowitz, Howard (11 September 2014). "Obama ISIS Speech Reaction: Germany, Turkey Won't Join Airstrikes In Syria; UK Won't Rule Them Out". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ Saul, Heather (23 September 2014). "Syria air strikes: Iran 'says US attacks on Isis are illegal'". The Independent. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
^ "Iran warns of risk to Israel's security should US seek overthrow of Assad". The Guardian. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
^ Torry, Harriet; Winning, Nicholas; Meichtry, Stacy (11 September 2014). "Mixed International Reaction to Obama Plan on Islamic State". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
^ "Rutte: begrip voor bombardement Syrië (Dutch)". Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 23 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ "'More than 90%' of Russian airstrikes in Syria have not targeted Isis, US says". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Syria war: World reaction to US missile attack". BBC News. 7 April 2017.
^ Albayrak, Ayla; Parkinson, Joe (30 September 2014). "Turkey Government to Ask Parliament for Approval to Join Campaign Against Islamic State". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
^ Sparrow, Andrew; Phipps, Claire (26 September 2014). "UK parliament approves air strikes against Isis in Iraq – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
^ Coles, Isabel (13 October 2014). "Britain sees no early demand from U.S. for air strikes in Syria". The Daily Star. Reuters. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
^ Tharoor, Ishaan (15 November 2019). "Trump's perplexing insistence on 'keeping' Middle Eastern oil". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
^ "UN chief welcomes airstrikes in Syria". Daily Star. Associated Press. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
^ Shankar, Sneha (25 September 2014). "Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro Calls For 'Re-Founding' Of UN; Slams US-Led Airstrikes In Iraq And Syria". International Business Times. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ "Venezuela leader calls ISIS a Western 'Frankenstein'". Al Arabiya. Agence France-Presse. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.

External links[]

[UK-1] "UK forces kill British Isis fighters in targeted drone strike on Syrian city". The Guardian. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2015; "Syria air strikes conducted by UK military pilots". BBC News. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015; "SAS troops 'dressed in US uniforms and joined special forces on Isis Abu Sayyaf overnight raid in Syria'". 10 August 2015. Retrieved 10 August 2015; "Surveillance missions over Syria confirmed". Ministry of Defence. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

[bbc72435-2] "IS conflict: France launches air strikes in Syria". BBC. 27 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.

[uaesaud-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Saudi Arabia, UAE send troops to support Kurds in Syria". Middle East Monitor. 22 November 2018.

[4] "The UAE has it in for the Muslim Brotherhood". Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. 22 February 2017. Along with their American counterparts, Emirati special forces are said to be training elements of the opposition. They constitute a kind of Arab guarantee among the Syrian Democratic Forces – an umbrella group dominated by the Kurds of the PYD, on whom the US are relying to fight IS on the ground.

[tpi.it-5] "Secondo un'agenzia di stampa turca l'Italia ha inviato delle truppe in Siria a combattere l'Isis". 12 June 2018.

[BBC-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "Syria conflict: German MPs vote for anti-IS military mission". BBC. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2016.

[7] "German troops deployment and ops in Syria fall within 'right of self-defense', Germany's top court rules". DailySabah. 19 October 2019.

[8] "Denmark's decision to withdraw from airstrikes on Syria and Iraq". Middle East Monitor. 6 December 2016.

[9] "U.S. applauds Denmark's deploying troops in Syria – Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com.

[barton42356-10] Barton, Rosemary (26 November 2015). "Justin Trudeau to pull fighter jets, keep other military planes in ISIS fight". CBC News. Retrieved 12 September 2016.

[barnes21290-11] Barnes, Julian (13 May 2016). "Belgium Plans to Carry Out Airstrikes in Syria Against Islamic State". The Wall Street Journal.

[reuters23sept-12] Stewart, Phil; Perryl, Tom (22 September 2014). "US, Arab partners launch first strikes on IS in Syria". Reuters. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[moroccown1234-13] "Moroccan F-16 Carry Out Airstrikes Against ISIS". Morocco World News. 10 December 2014.

[14] "Australia ends strikes in Iraq and Syria". BBC News. 22 December 2017.

[15] "Dutch air mission ends but Peshmerga, Iraqi training continues". Kurdistan24.

[nytpeshmerga-16] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Barnard, Anne (29 October 2014). "Reinforcements Enter Besieged Syrian Town via Turkey, Raising Hopes". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 October 2014.

[reuters75243-17] "Kurdish fighters and Free Syrian Army clash with IS at strategic border town". Reuters. 30 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.

[abc22sept-18] Jump up to: ^a ^b Raddatz, Martha; Martinez, Luis; Ferran, Lee (22 September 2014). "U.S. airstrikes hit ISIS inside Syria for first time". ABC News. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[abdulrahim21100-19] Abdulrahim, Raja (28 November 2014). "Islamic State, rival Al Nusra Front each strengthen grip on Syria". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[syriahr52041-20] "Negotiations failed between the IS, Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic battalions". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[brunker38765-21] Brunker, Mike (21 November 2014). "War of Words Between al Qaeda and ISIS Continues With Scholar's Smackdown". NBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[ahram74456-22] "US-led strikes hit Qaeda in Syria as well as IS: Monitor". Al-Ahram. Agence France-Presse. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.

[macclatchy09287-23] "U.S. bombs Nusra headquarters in key city on Turkey-Syria border". McClatchy DC. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.

[US_begins_airstrikes_in_Syria-24] Jump up to: ^a ^b E. Barnes, Julian; Dagher, Sam (24 September 2014). "Syria Strikes: U.S. Reports Significant Damage in Attacks on Islamic State, Khorasan". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 September 2014.

[6900persons-25] "28 months of bombing by the international coalition kills more than 6900 persons in Syria, including 820 Syrian civilians". SOHR. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.

[atleast40-26] Jump up to: ^a ^b "At least 40 of the jihadi groups were killed after an unidentified targeting of headquarters and meeting of "Wa Harred al-Mu'min" operation room in Idlib countryside". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.

[8persons-27] Jump up to: ^a ^b "About 8 persons mostly commanders of non-Syrian nationalities were killed in aerial bombardment believed to be caused by the International Coalition warplanes that targeted a headquarters of Hurras Al-Din organization in the "Putin – Erdogan" area". Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 1 July 2019.

[aqs-28] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Statement from U.S. Central Command on strike against al-Qaida in Syria". United States Central Command. 30 June 2019.

[internal_struggle-29] Jump up to: ^a ^b "An internal struggle: Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate is grappling with its identity". Brookings Institution. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.

[jund_airstrike-30] "Air strikes kill 12 fighters in Syria's Idlib: monitor". Reuters. 3 February 2017.

[leaves_for_Raqqa-31] "Search for the dead begins in Idlib after Islamic State-linked brigade leaves for Raqqa".

[tip-32] Jump up to: ^a ^b Caleb Weiss (14 February 2017). "Uighur jihadist fought in Afghanistan, killed in Syria". Long War Journal. Retrieved 22 February 2017.

[reutersnov12-33] Dziadoszt, Alexander (6 November 2014). Boulton, Ralph (ed.). "Syria's Ahrar al-Sham says coalition strikes on it killed civilians: statement". Reuters. Beirut, Lebanon. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.

[edition.cnn.com-34] Jump up to: ^a ^b Paton Walsh, Nick; Smith-Spark, Laura (6 November 2014). "Report: Airstrikes target another Islamist group in Syria". CNN. Retrieved 6 November 2014.

[internal12345-35] There was one series of strikes in 2016, intentionality disputed.

[wetzel55678-36] Wetzel, Gary. "An American F-15E Just Shot Down An Armed Drone Over Syria". Foxtrot Alpha.

[hennigan34435-37] Hennigan, W. J. "U.S. forces shoot down Iranian drone over Syria as fighting escalates". Los Angeles Times.

[Airstrike_Total-38] "US-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria". Airwars. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

[Airstrikes_in_Iraq_and_Syria_0814-39] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria". U.S. Department of Defense. 9 August 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.

[nytime22398-40] "Obama Administration Ends Effort to Train Syrians to Combat ISIS". The New York Times. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2011.

[usher28934-41] Usher, Sebastian. "Iraq declares war with Islamic State is over". BBC.

[42] "Timeline: the Rise, Spread and Fall of the Islamic State". Retrieved 6 May 2020.

[four_times_as_many-43] Jump up to: ^a ^b There are four times as many U.S. troops in Syria as previously acknowledged by the Pentagon The Washington Post, 6 December 2017.

[44] Rogoway, Tyler. "Shockwaves Sent Through Tattered US-Russian Relationship After US Downs Syrian Jet". The Drive.

[guardian23418-45] Swann, Glenn; Sheehy, Finbarr; Levett, Cath; Fidler, Matt (31 October 2019). "Visual guide to the raid that killed Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi" – via www.theguardian.com.

[bbc88210-46] "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: IS leader 'killed in US operation' in Syria". BBC News. 27 October 2019.

[al-Baghdadi_incapacitated-47] Abdelhak Mamoun (3 May 2015). "ISIS leader al-Baghdadi is incapacitated, says the Guardian". Iraq News.

[Deputy_leader_assumes_command_of_ISIL-48] "Report: A former physics teacher is now leading ISIS – Business Insider". Business Insider. 23 April 2015.

[nytimes34550-49] "Military Skill and Terrorist Technique Fuel Success of ISIS". The New York Times. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

[who_is_next-50] Jump up to: ^a ^b Alessandria Masi (11 November 2014). "If ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Killed, Who Is Caliph Of The Islamic State Group?". International Business Times.

[al-Shishani_dead1-51] "Kadyrov Claims Red-Bearded Chechen Militant al-Shishani Dead". ElBalad. 14 November 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2015.

[al-Shishani_dead2-52] "Kadyrov Says Islamic State's Leader From Georgia Killed". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 14 November 2014.

[confirmation-53] "U.S. confirms death of ISIS operative Omar al-Shishani". CNN. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.

[Omar_dead-54] "Official: Top ISIS Military Commander Believed Dead". ABC News. 14 March 2016.

[al-Qaeda_deputy_killed-55] Antonopoulos, Paul (26 February 2017). "BREAKING: Al-Qaeda's deputy leader killed in Idlib drone strike".

[war-56] Marcy Kreiter (26 February 2017). "War On Terror: Who Is Abu Khayr al-Masri? Al Qaeda Second In Command Killed In Drone Strike In Syria". International Business Times.

[al-Nusra_military_chief_killed-57] "Syria's Qaeda leader killed in explosion – ARA News". ARA News. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015.

[group-58] "Air strike kills top commander of former Nusra group in Syria". Reuters. 9 September 2016.

[auto-59] "Syrian Nusra Front's Abu Firas killed in suspected drone strike: rebels". Reuters. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.

[al-Nusra_spokesman_killed-60] "Al-Qaeda top official killed in American strike northern Syria – ARA News". 4 April 2016. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016.

[cook-61] "Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook on Strike against al-Qaida Leader". US Department of Defense. 3 October 2016.

[maclean45227-62] Maclean, William (28 September 2014). "Khorasan leader killed by US air strike in Syria last week, Al-Qaida member tweets". Haaretz. Retrieved 1 October 2014.

[Drugeon_wounded-63] Jump up to: ^a ^b Starr, Barbara; Cruickshank, Paul (10 December 2014). "Officials: Khorasan Group bomb maker thought dead survived". CNN. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[bno-64] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Key al-Qaeda figure Muhsin al-Fadhli killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria – Pentagon". BNO News. Retrieved 21 July 2015.

[5th_Khorasan_leader_killed-65] Starr, Barbara; Hume, Tim (18 October 2015). "Al Qaeda leader killed in U.S. airstrike, Pentagon says – CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 28 November 2015.

[Drugeon_confirmed_dead-66] "French jihadist Drugeon killed in Syria: US official". AFP. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.

[aljazeera77228-67] "Syria rebels name slain leader's replacement". Al Jazeera English. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.

[aljazeera11442-68] "Syria rebels name slain leader's replacement". Al Jazeera English. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.

[landis70721-69] "Abu Yahia al-Hamawi, Ahrar al-Sham's New Leader". Syria Comment. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.

[nbcsyriaairstrikes-70] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Miklaszewski, Jim; Kube, Courtney; Cheikh Omar, Ammar; Arkin, Daniel (22 September 2014). "US, Arab Allies Strike ISIS in Syria". NBC News. Retrieved 22 September 2014.

[simoes25234-71] Simoes, Hendrick (16 October 2014). "USS Carl Vinson set to take over airstrikes in Syria, Iraq". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2 November 2014.

[cnnsyriaairstrikes-72] Sciutto, Jim; Castillo, Mariano; Yan, Holly (22 September 2014). "US airstrikes hit ISIS inside Syria for first time". CNN. Retrieved 22 September 2014.

[wsjsyriaairstrikes-73] Barnes, Julian (22 September 2014). "U.S., Arab Allies Launch Strikes Against Militant Targets In Syria". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2014.

[harress09024-74] Harress, Christopher (23 September 2014). "The A-10 Thunderbolt, Saved By Congress, Joins Airstrikes Against ISIS In Syria". International Business Times. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

[harress74746-75] Harress, Christopher (24 September 2014). "US Airstrikes In Syria Against ISIS May Cost As Much As $10 Billion". International Business Times. Retrieved 25 September 2014.

[sherlock08022-76] Sanchez, Raf; Sherlock, Ruth (8 September 2014). "Predator drones being flown over Isil's Syrian 'capital'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

[JustinFishel-77] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Partner Nations Contributions Summary". Justin Fishel. Twitter. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

[AFP181115-78] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e La France a réalisé 12% des frappes non-américaines contre l'EI (Pentagone), AFP, 18 November 2015.

[Chammal1-79] Chammal : Point de situation au 10 septembre, Ministère de la Défense, 21 September 2015.

[UKdrones-80] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Britain to use surveillance drones in Syria". Deutsche Welle. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

[UKinSyria-81] "Surveillance missions over Syria confirmed". Ministry of Defence. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

[reuters47744-82] "Denmark to pull F-16 fighter jets from Syria and Iraq". Reuters. 2 December 2016 – via www.reuters.com.

[urdupont31127-83] "French Carrier Strike Group Joins Operations Against Islamic State – Central Command". UrduPoint.

[bbcpeshmerga-84] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Islamic State crisis: Syria rebel forces boost Kobane defence". BBC News. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.

[deepening_involvement-85] "US deepening involvement in Syria's war against ISIS". 23 March 2017.

[speed_up_fight-86] Daniels, Jeff (27 February 2017). "Pentagon delivers plan to speed up fight against ISIS, possibly boosting US troops in Syria".

[join_local_forces-87] Correspondent, Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon. "US Marines join local forces fighting in Raqqa".

[snow75544-88] Snow, Shawn (8 February 2018). "These Marines in Syria fired more artillery than any battalion since Vietnam".

[zaretsky86698-89] Zaretsky, Robert. "France's Existential Loneliness in Syria".

[todayszaman48339-90] "Will the Islamic State last through 2015?". Today's Zaman. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2015.

[rebel_gains-91] "Syria crisis: Spooked by rebel gains, Jordan doubles down on Islamic State". 4 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.

[ISIL_has_200,000_fighters-92] Cockburn, Patrick (16 November 2014). "Islamic State has 200,000 fighters, claims Kurdish leader". The Independent. Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Retrieved 22 December 2014.^{[dead link]}

[bbc55542-93] "Islamic State 'training pilots to fly fighter jets'". BBC News. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.

[mezzofiore48873-94] Mezzofiore, Gianluca (17 October 2014). "ISIS Syria News: Iraqi Pilots 'Training Isis Fighters' to Fly Captured Planes". International Business Times. Retrieved 22 October 2014.

[nearly_5,000_bombs_dropped_on_ISIL-95] "US-led forces drop nearly 5,000 bombs on ISIS". Al Arabiya. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.

[thetimes90755-96] Smith, Hannah Lucinda (4 October 2014). "Fears of massacre as Isis tanks lead assault on Kurdish bastion". The Times.

[schneider40453-97] Bergen, Peter; Schneider, Emily (24 August 2014). "Now ISIS has drones?". CNN. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[nytimes80009-98] "Footage From an ISIS Drone". The New York Times. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.

[ISIS_controls_Kobani-99] E Shoichet, Catherine (27 October 2014). "Hostage in video claims Syrian city of Kobani is under ISIS control". CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2014.

[surfacing-100] Al-awsat, Asharq (30 January 2017). "Syria: Surfacing of 'Hai'at Tahrir al-Sham' Threatens Truce – ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English". Archived from the original on 15 February 2017.

[warns_against-101] Stewart, Phil (4 September 2018). "Top U.S. general warns against major assault on Syria's Idlib". Reuters.

[abc-102] Raddatz, Martha; Martinez, Luis (7 October 2014). "Airstrikes in Syria That Targeted Khorasan Group Disrupted Plots Against US, Gen. Dempsey Says". ABC News. Retrieved 10 October 2014.

[defect_to_ISIS-103] Charkatli, Izat (23 February 2017). "Over 2,000 radical rebels defect to ISIS following intra-rebel deal". al-Masdar.

[killing_ground-104] Moubayed, Sami (29 January 2017). "Is Syria's Idlib being groomed as Islamist killing ground?". Asia Times.

[liveuamap43335-105] "Syrian opposition merger in Jan 2017". archicivilians. Retrieved 26 January 2017.

[Syria_military_strength-106] "Syria military strength". Global Fire Power. 17 October 2015.

[casu-107] 8 US Military, 1 DOD civilian

[108] ttp://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "Army identifies U.S. soldier killed in Syria". The Washington Times.

[auto2-109] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Watson Institute International and Public Affairs- Brown University Human Cost of Post-9/11 Wars. November 2019" (PDF).

[f-16.net-110] "Pilot killed as U.S. F-16 crashes in Jordan". www.f-16.net.

[sisk09990-111] Sisk, Richard (31 October 2017). "2 Troops Injured in Non-Combat V-22 Crash in Syria". Military.com.

[112] Roblin, Sebastien (21 June 2019). "A War Begins? How Iran Shot Down a U.S. RQ-4N Surveillance Drone". The National Interest.

[swarts29990-113] Swarts, Phillip (7 August 2017). "Reaper down: MQ-9 crashes in Syria". airforcetimes.com. Retrieved 5 February 2018.

[airforcetimes39990-114] "Air Force: Lost Predator was shot down in Syria". airforcetimes. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016.

[adams49990-115] Adams, Paul (3 February 2015). "Jordan pilot hostage Moaz al-Kasasbeh 'burned alive'". BBC News. Retrieved 3 February 2015.

[Jordanian_crash-116] "Jordan pilot ejected over Syria after 'technical failure'". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.

[warisboring.com-117] "Drones Are Dropping Like Flies From the Sky Over Syria".

[bbc59990-118] "UK soldier killed in Syria named". BBC News. 31 March 2018.

[guardian69990-119] "Two British special forces soldiers injured by Isis in Syria". 6 January 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.

[120] "French soldier killed in Iraq-Syria military zone, Élysée Palace says". France 24. 23 September 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2019.

[Coalitionstrikes-121] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "In one month, International Coalition limits its control to oil fields, and Russia becomes a new player in northern and northeastern Syria". SOHR. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.

[aq150-122] "U.S. Airstrike Kills More Than 100 al-Qaida Fighters in Syria". US Department of Defense. 20 January 2017.

[123] "62 months of the "international coalition" operations in Syria: Killing "al-Baghdadi" the biggest achievement after the US withdrawal, new bases and goals in East Euphrates and joint operations with SDF to "fight IS cells" • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 23 November 2019.

[US_airstrike_targets_Ahrar_ash-Sham-124] "US-led air strikes hit al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria". The Irish Times. Reuters. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.

[11_terrorists_killed-125] "Pentagon: 11 al Qaeda terrorists killed in airstrikes near Idlib, Syria". the Long War Journal. 8 February 2017.

[derspiegel-126] 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.

[127] "About 220 casualties and wounded of the Russian security companies, the regime forces and their allies in Coalition's bombing and the explosion of a warehouse of the Russian protection forces east of Euphrates • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 14 February 2018.

[128] Christopher Woody (6 June 2017). "The US-led coalition destroyed more pro-Assad forces at a growing hotspot in the Syrian desert". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.

[129] "U.S. aircraft conduct strike on Syrian army convoy". CBS News. 18 May 2017. Archived from the original on 7 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.

[130] U.S. airstrike destroys Russian-made tank used by pro-Syria forces Archived 2018-02-13 at the Wayback Machine NBC News, 13 February 2018.

[131] "Nine Syrian planes destroyed by US strike on airfield". ITV News. 7 April 2017.

[132] Here's The Definitive Account Of The Syrian Su-22 Shoot Down From The Pilots Themselves.

[133] "ISI first to analyze Shayrat airfield missile attack". ImageStat International. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.

[134] "F-15E Shot Down "Predator-Sized" Drone That Attacked Coalition Forces In Syria". The Drive. 8 June 2017.

[135] "US 'downs Iranian-made drone' over Syria". BBC News. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2018.

[136] "Al-Assad's legacy in 3rd presidential term | over 371,000 people killed…unprecedented economic collapse…foreign interventions and large spread of drugs • the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights". 25 May 2021.

[syriahr30002-137] "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". syriahr.com. 23 May 2019.

[syriahr40002-138] "More than 570 thousand people were killed on the Syrian territory within 8 years of revolution demanding freedom, democracy, justice, and equality". syriahr.com. 15 March 2019.

[US_airstrikes_center_on_Kobani-139] "Most US Airstrikes in Syria Target a City That's Not a "Strategic Objective" – Mother Jones". Mother Jones.

[over_20,000_displaced_during_Al-Hasakah_offensive-140] At least 20,000 civilians displaced during the Al-Hasakah offensive (February–March 2015); 5,000+ in the Khabur Valley region,[1] and 15,000+ in the Tell Hamis region [2]

[hubbard50002-141] Hubbard, Ben (24 September 2014). "At Least 500 Militants Killed in U.S.-Led Strikes in Syria, Observer Group Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[nyt-3-8-17-142] Jump up to: ^a ^b Goldman, Mark Mazzetti, Adam; Schmidt, Michael S. (2 August 2017). "Behind the Sudden Death of a $1 Billion Secret C.I.A. War in Syria". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 August 2017.

[whitehouse60002-143] "President Obama: "We Will Degrade and Ultimately Destroy ISIL"". whitehouse.gov. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014 – via National Archives.

[saul70002-144] Saul, Heather (23 September 2014). "Syria air strike: Twitter user Abdulkader Hariri live tweets US Islamic State attack 'before Pentagon breaks news'". The Independent. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[miklaszewski80002-145] Miklaszewski, Jim; Vinograd, Cassandra (23 September 2014). "U.S. Bombs ISIS Sites in Syria and Targets Khorasan Group". NBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2014.

[time99002-146] Thompson, Mark. "Why More Airstrikes Won't Beat ISIS." Time. 17 November 2015.

[jacobs21117-147] Ackerman, Spencer; Jacobs, Ed Pilkington Ben; Washington, Julian Borger in (7 April 2017). "Syria missile strikes: US launches first direct military action against Assad". Retrieved 1 September 2017 – via The Guardian.

[guardianopenend-148] 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.

[washingtonpost31117-149] "Trump agrees to an indefinite military effort and new diplomatic push in Syria, U.S. officials say". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 September 2018.

[NYT2018-12-19a-150] Mark Landler; Helene Cooper; Eric Schmitt (19 December 2018). "Trump Withdraws U.S. Forces From Syria, Declaring 'We Have Won Against ISIS'". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2018. Defense Department officials said that Mr. Trump had ordered that the withdrawal be completed in 30 days.

[Time2018-12-19a-151] W.J. Hennigan (19 December 2018). "The U.S. Will Withdraw From Syria. No One's Sure What Comes Next". Time. Retrieved 20 December 2018. President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. military to withdraw all 2,200 American ground troops from Syria within 30 days, marking a swift end to the four-year-long conflict against ISIS there.

[Guardian2018-12-20a-152] Julian Borger; Martin Chulov Middle East correspondent (20 December 2018). "Trump shocks allies and advisers with plan to pull US troops out of Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2018. Reuters quoted a US official as saying the troop pullout would take between 60 and 100 days.

[ahval41117-153] "US looking for allies to replace it in Syria, says Sen Graham". 15 February 2019.

[cbs90009-154] "About 200 U.S. peacekeepers are to remain in Syria". CBS News. 21 February 2019.

[usdof51117-155] 5 Things to Know About the Fight Against ISIS in Syria. U.S. Department of Defense. 20 December 2018.

[battleover-156] "US-allied Syrian force declares victory over Islamic State". The Washington Post. 23 March 2019.

[politico61117-157] "ISIS leader killed in daring U.S. raid in Syria, Trump says". POLITICO.

[bbc71117-158] "Trump makes way for Turkey operation against Kurds in Syria". BBC. 7 October 2019.

[ap81117-159] "Not over yet: New US Syria mission after al-Baghdadi death". Associated Press.

[160] "No 'End Date' for U.S. Troops in Syria". 25 November 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.

[naiman91117-161] Naiman, Robert (15 September 2015). "Chapter 10 "Syria"". The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to US Empire. Verso Books – Random House. ISBN 978-1-78168-944-8.

[hersh01117-162] Hersh, Seymour M. (7 January 2016). "Military to Military". London Review of Books. pp. 11–14. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 24 January 2019.

[ISW-2011-12-163] Holliday, Joseph (December 2011). "The Struggle for Syria in 2011 – An Operational and Regional Analysis" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2014.

[Politico-2014-5-23-164] Abouzeid, Rania (23 June 2014). "The Jihad Next Door – The roots of Iraq's newest civil war". Politico. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.

[covert-165] "US axes $500m scheme to train Syrian rebels, says NYT". The Guardian. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

[trim-166] "Secret CIA effort in Syria faces large funding cut". The Washington Post. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

[syria-aid-fears-167] U.S. Considers Resuming Nonlethal Aid to Syrian Opposition, By MARK LANDLER, 9, January 2014

[larger-168] "U.S. Weaponry Is Turning Syria Into Proxy War With Russia". The New York Times. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.

[autogenerated2-169] Bowman, Tom; Fordham, Alice (23 April 2014). "CIA Is Quietly Ramping Up Aid To Syrian Rebels, Sources Say". NPR. Retrieved 20 September 2014.

[telegraph1-170] Spencer, Richard (17 February 2014). "US-backed head of Free Syria Army voted out". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 September 2014.

[frontline-2014-05-26-171] Youssef, Nancy A. (26 May 2014). "Syrian Rebels Describe U.S.-Backed Training in Qatar". PBS – Frontline. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.

[Hersh-172] Hersh, Seymour (7 January 2016). "Military to Military". London Review of Books. Retrieved 21 July 2017.

[NPR17sept-173] Jump up to: ^a ^b Amos, Deborah (17 September 2014). "After A Long Wait, Syrian Rebels Hope The Weapons Will Now Flow". NPR. Retrieved 19 September 2014.

[alarabiya13334-174] "Syria opposition says it backs rebel fight against al-Qaeda". Al Arabiya. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.

[reuters30sept-175] Perry, Tom; Stewart, Phil (30 September 2014). Nakhoul, Samia (ed.). "U.S.-led air strikes pose problem for Assad's moderate foes". Reuters. Reyhanlı, Turkey. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

[WSJ_Feb172015-176] Jump up to: ^a ^b Barnes, Julian E.; Entous, Adam (17 February 2015). "U.S. to Give Some Syria Rebels Ability to Call Airstrikes". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 February 2015.

[nypost23334-177] "House Grudgingly Approves Arms for Syrian Rebels". New York Post. Associated Press. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.

[zengerle53334-178] Zengerle, Patricia; Lawder, David (18 September 2014). "U.S. Congress approves arming Syrian rebels, funding government". Reuters. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[mcbride63334-179] Szep, Jason; Stewart, Phil; Spetalnick, Matt (15 September 2014). McBride, Janet (ed.). "Syria's 'moderate' rebels say they need weapons, not training". Reuters. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[telegraph.co.uk-180] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Sherlock, Ruth; Malouf, Carol; Ensor, Josie (21 August 2014). "The failed US mission to try and rescue James Foley from Islamic State terrorists". The Daily Telegraph. Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Retrieved 19 September 2014.

[hennigan73334-181] Hennessey, Kathleen; Hennigan, W.J. (22 August 2014). "Rising danger prompted U.S. effort to rescue James Foley, other hostages". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 September 2014.

[botelho83334-182] Botelho, Greg (14 September 2014). "ISIS executes British aid worker David Haines; Cameron vows justice". CNN. Retrieved 26 December 2014.

[pace93334-183] Pace, Julie (25 August 2014). "AP source: Obama backs surveillance over Syria". Salon. Associated Press. Retrieved 19 September 2014.

[nissenbaum03334-184] Entous, Adam; E. Barnes, Julian; Nissenbaum, Dion (25 August 2014). "U.S. Lays Groundwork for Syria Strike". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 September 2014.

[eurparlcoal-185] Jump up to: ^a ^b The international coalition to counter ISIL/Da'esh (the 'Islamic State') 17 March 2015.

[franceinthenews15556-186] D.C., Embassy of France in the United States, Washington. "International Conference on Iraq in Paris (09/15/14)". France in the United States / Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. Retrieved 1 September 2017.

[TIME5Sep-187] ‘U.S. Forms Anti-ISIS Coalition at NATO Summit’. Time, 5 September 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015.

[archives25556-188] FACT SHEET: Strategy to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) The White House, 10 September 2014.

[USstate,3Dec-189] Jump up to: ^a ^b ‘Joint Statement Issued by Partners at the Counter-ISIL Coalition Ministerial Meeting’. United States Department of State, 3 December 2014.

[zaman35556-190] "Petition calls on White House to officially arm YPG". Today's Zaman. Ankara, Turkey. 12 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[beck45556-191] Beck, John (20 October 2014). "US Airdrops Weapons to Kobanî, Turkey to Allow Kurdish Peshmerga Into Town". Vice News. Retrieved 20 October 2014.

[pandey55556-192] Pandey; Avaneesh (20 October 2014). "Turkey Shifts Stance To Help Iraqi Kurds Join Fight Against ISIS In Syria's Kobani". International Business Times. Retrieved 20 October 2014.

[peshmergaerbil-193] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Cooper, Hayden (28 October 2014). "Islamic State: Kurdish Peshmerga troops leave Iraq to join battle in Kobane". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 28 October 2014.

[CNNairdrop-194] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Walker, Brian (20 October 2014). "U.S. airdrops weapons, medical supplies to fighters in Kobani". CNN. Retrieved 20 October 2014.

[bbc65556-195] "Islamic State: US probes 'stray Syria air drop' in IS video". BBC News. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.

[defense75556-196] "One Airdrop to Kurds Fighting in Kobani Intercepted". United States Department of Defense. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.

[entous05556-197] Schwartz, Felicia; Entous, Adam; Albayrak, Ayla (10 October 2014). "Turkey to Help Train and Equip Moderate Syrian Rebels". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[a85556-198] "US to send 400 troops to train Syrian rebels". BBC News. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.

[Reuters_Feb2015-199] Jump up to: ^a ^b "U.S. identifies 1,200 potential fighters for Syria training". Reuters. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.

[mcclam95556-200] Plesser, Ben; Cheikh Omar, Ammar; McClam, Erin (20 September 2014). "Who Are the Syrian Rebels the U.S. Wants to Arm and Train?". NBC News. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[hurriyet17774-201] "US will 'protect' Syrian rebels when time comes: envoy". AFP. 22 February 2015.

[autogenerated1-202] "UK troops to train moderate Syrian opposition". United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.

[bbc27774-203] "UK to give military training to 'moderate Syria forces'". BBC News. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2015.

[reuters37774-204] "Turkey, US to start train-and-equip plan for Syria rebels May 9: Ankara". TDS. Reuters. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.

[afanasieva47774-205] Afanasieva, Dasha (25 May 2015). "Turkey says deal with US on air support for Syria rebels". The Daily Star. Reuters. Retrieved 26 May 2015.

[syrianobserver57774-206] "Syrian Opposition Fighters Withdraw from US 'Train and Equip' Program". The Syrian Observer. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.

[startribune67774-207] "Syrian commander of U.S.-trained fighters is kidnapped by Al-Qaida affiliate". The New York Times. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.

[sabah_20150715-208] Mehmed Cavid Barkçin (15 July 2015). "First group of FSA soldiers trained by U.S., Turkey enters Syria". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 26 September 2015.

[small_number-209] Jim Miklaszewski (16 September 2015). "Small number of U.S.-trained Syrian rebels still fighting". NBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2015.

[betray-210] Nabih Bulos, US-trained Division 30 rebels 'betray US and hand weapons over to al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria', Telegraph, 22 September 2015

[janes-20160408-211] Jeremy Binnie, Neil Gibson (8 April 2016). "US arms shipment to Syrian rebels detailed". Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS. Retrieved 3 December 2016.

[ct-212] Malone, Paul (10 July 2016). "Save us from the Dr Strangeloves". Canberra Times. Retrieved 21 September 2016.

[guardian-20160727-213] Ivan Angelovski; Miranda Patrucic; Lawrence Marzouk (27 July 2016). "Revealed: the £1bn of weapons flowing from Europe to Middle East". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

[balkaninsight-20160727-214] Lawrence Marzouk; Ivan Angelovski; Miranda Patrucic (27 July 2016). "Making a Killing: The 1.2 Billion Euro Arms Pipeline to Middle East". BalkanInsight. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

[janes-20160607-215] Jeremy Binnie (7 June 2016). "IS seizes Saudi weapons from Syrian rebels". Jane's Defence Weekly. IHS. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

[reuters87774-216] Trump ends CIA arms support for anti-Assad Syria rebels: U.S. officials Reuters, 19 July 2017.

[wapo201707-217] Jaffe, Greg; Entous, Adam (20 July 2017). "Trump halts covert arming of Syria rebels, a move likely to please Russia". The Washington Post. Retrieved 20 July 2017.

[a97774-218] Syria war: Trump 'ends CIA arms programme for rebels' BBC, 20 July 2017.

[aljazeera07774-219] "Obama outlines plan to target IS fighters". Al Jazeera. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.

[zake12345-220] Miller, Zake (10 September 2014). "Obama Says U.S. Will Bomb ISIS in Syria, Train Rebels". Time. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[russiasyr-221] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Russia warns US against strikes on Islamic State in Syria". BBC News. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.

[keefe22345-222] O'Keefe, Ed (17 September 2014). "House approves Obama's Iraq-Syria military strategy amid skepticism". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[carter32345-223] Carter, Chelsea J.; Starr, Barbara (19 September 2014). "Obama: ISIS threat against U.S., allies 'doesn't frighten us'". CNN. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[voasyriaairstrikes-224] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Pande, Aru; Babb, Carl (23 September 2014). "US: Syria Won't, Can't Stop Militant Safe Havens". Voice of America. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[mohammed42345-225] Hafezi, Parisa; Charbonneau, Louis; Mohammed, Arshad (23 September 2014). Goller, Howard (ed.). "Exclusive: U.S. told Iran of intent to strike Islamic State in Syria". Reuters. United Nations, New York City. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[cnn52345-226] "Trudeau to Obama: Canada to pull out of bombing campaign against ISIS". CNN. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.

[canada62345-227] "Airstrike operations cease in Iraq and Syria". Government of Canada. 18 February 2016.

[khorasanairstrikes-228] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Levis, Josh; Cruickshank, Paul; Lister, Time (23 September 2014). "Source: Al Qaeda group in Syria plotted attack against U.S. with explosive clothes". CNN. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[nyt_mazzetti-229] Jump up to: ^a ^b Mazzetti, Mark (24 September 2014). "A terror cell that avoided the spotlight". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 October 2014.

[guardian_ackerman-230] Jump up to: ^a ^b Ackerman, Spencer (25 September 2014). "US officials unclear on threat posed by obscure al-Qaida cell in Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 October 2014.

[yah54645-231] "US bombs Al-Qaeda offshoot Khorasan for third time". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.

[US_carries_out_4th_raid_on_Khorasan_terrorists-232] "Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq". United States Department of Defense. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.

[5thKhorasan-233] "Airstrikes Continue Against ISIL in Syria, Iraq". United States Department of Defense. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[Nusra_Front_quietly_rises-234] "Nusra Front quietly rises in Syria as ISIS targeted". Al Arabiya. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.

[wp64645-235] Brooks, Rosa (26 September 2014). "Why Obama's assurance of 'no boots on the ground' isn't so reassuring". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[cnn74645-236] Diamond, Jeremy (16 September 2014). "When are troops 'advisers' and when are they 'boots on the ground'?". CNN. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[usat84645-237] Michaels, Jim (25 September 2014). "Analysis: Syria will test no-boots-on-ground strategy". USA Today. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[nyt94645-238] BAKER, PETER; COOPER, HELENE (30 October 2015). "Obama Sends Special Operations Forces to Help Fight ISIS in Syria". The New York Times. WASHINGTON. Retrieved 30 October 2015.

[wsj04645-239] Kesling, Ben; Entous, Adam; Paletta, Damian (25 March 2016). "Senior Islamic State Leader Killed". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 March 2016.

[tele15645-240] Morgan, Tom (25 March 2016). "Leaked report: SAS on ground in Libya for months". The Daily Telegraph.

[hurri25645-241] "Pentagon chief praises Kurdish fighters in Syria". Hurriyet Daily News. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.

[db35645-242] "U.S. Troops 18 Miles from ISIS Capital". The Daily Beast. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.

[wpo45645-243] "The new coalition to destroy the Islamic State". The Washington Post). 22 May 2016.

[ara55645-244] "US sending arms to Kurdish-led SDF in Syria, Turkey's Erdogan outraged". ARA News. 25 September 2016. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016.

[str55645-245] "US general: Syrian Democratic Forces will lead the assault on Raqqa". Stars and Stripes. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.

[nyt65645-246] "American Is Killed in First Casualty for U.S. Forces in Syria Combat". The New York Times. 24 November 2016.

[sal75645-247] "More troops in Syria: Trump orders boots on the ground to battle ISIS". Salon. 10 March 2017.

[marc85645-248] These Marines in Syria fired more artillery than any battalion since Vietnam. Marines Corps Times. 6 February 2018.

[almas95645-249] "US establishes large military base in oil-rich Syrian province – SDF". Al Masdar News. 27 March 2018.

[oil05645-250] "U.S. Bases On Syrian Oilfields Receive New Equipment". 21 March 2018.

[251] "Trump blames Putin, Obama for 'Animal Assad,' tweets 'big price' after reports of Syrian chemical attack". CNN. 9 April 2018.

[252] "Bashar al Assad goes old school in response to Trump's 'animal' insult". Sky News. 31 May 2018.

[twitte16645-253] Trevithick, Joseph [@FranticGoat] (6 June 2018). "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" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 June 2018 – via Twitter.

[def26645-254] "441st Air Expeditionary Squadron Civil Engineer Runway Repair". United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 8 June 2018.

[mura36645-255] "Pictures: First Seen Ever Images Of Mini US Airbase In Syria's Al-Raqqa". Muraselon. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Nevertheless, opposition media said that the US airbase is located in “Sarrin” in the western countryside of Al-Raqqa.

[twitte46645-256] Trump, Donald J. (19 December 2018). "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency". @realDonaldTrump. Retrieved 19 December 2018.^{[better source needed]}

[nytimes20190102-257] Haberman, Maggie (2 January 2019). "Trump Says Mattis Resignation Was 'Essentially' a Firing, Escalating His New Front Against Military Critics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 October 2019.

[independent20190103-258] "Trump says Syria is 'sand and death' in defence of troop withdrawal". Independent. 3 January 2019.

[ral56645-259] "Bolton Puts Conditions on Plan for Withdrawal From Syria – RealClearPolitics". www.realclearpolitics.com.

[nbc66645-260] "4 Americans among those killed by explosion in Syria". NBC News.

[cbs76645-261] "U.S. troops killed in Syria suicide attack claimed by ISIS". www.cbsnews.com.

[bbc86645-262] "'IS attack' kills US troops in Syria". BBC News. 16 January 2019.

[cnbc96645-263] Turak, Natasha (17 January 2019). "ISIS-claimed attack on Americans in Syria renews criticism of Trump". www.cnbc.com.

[wp06645-264] "Trump offers 'deepest condolences' after deaths of 4 Americans in Syria as Pence reiterates plan to withdraw". The Washington Post.

[a17645-265] "Trump Pays Tribute to Americans Killed in Syria Attack". 19 January 2019.

[arabn27645-266] "Suicide attack on Kurdish-US convoy in Syria kills 5: monitor". Arab News. 21 January 2019.

[cnn37645-267] "US sends additional troops to Syria to prepare for withdrawal". CNN. 24 January 2018.

[almas47645-268] Desk, News (28 January 2019). "Breaking: Over 600 US troops arrive in Syria despite Trump's withdrawal announcement".

[abc57645-269] "White House decision looms as US military continues with Syria withdrawal plan". ABC News. 9 February 2019.

[auto1-270] "IS fighters held in Syria 'time bomb': SDF". 18 February 2019.

[nbc67645-271] "U.S. to leave about 200 troops in Syria, White House says". NBC News. 21 February 2019.

[observerforce-272] "US pushes NATO allies to join observer force in Syria". Fox News. 22 February 2019.

[alj77645-273] "No pressure to withdraw from Syria by specific date: US general". 7 March 2019.

[nyt87645-274] "U.S. Troops Leaving Syria, but Some May Stay Longer Than Expected". The New York Times. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.

[almas97645-275] "US forces attack Syrian gov't oil transport in Euphrates region". Al-Masdar News. 10 May 2019.

[nyt07645-276] "In Syria, Russia Is Pleased to Fill an American Void". The New York Times. 15 October 2019.

[wsj18645-277] "Turkey Rejects U.S. Call for Immediate Cease-Fire in Syria". The Wall Street Journal. 16 October 2019.

[CNNwithdrawal1-278] Jump up to: ^a ^b "US conducts airstrike on weapons storage site as troops pull out of Syria". CNN. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

[cbs28645-279] "Russian troops rush to fill void left by U.S. troops in northern Syria". CBS News. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

[milit38645-280] "What it means for American bases in Syria to be occupied by Syrian and Russian forces". Military Times. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

[fox48645-281] "US jets destroy anti-ISIS coalition base in Syria after withdrawal, official says". Fox News. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

[washingtonpost20191016-282] "Trump's indifferent to new fighting in Syria: 'There's a lot of sand there that they can play with'". The Washington Post. 16 October 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.

[defone58645-283] "US Intel Aircraft to Remain Over Syria As Ground Forces Pull Out". Defense One. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

[oil-284] Jump up to: ^a ^b "U.S. sending armored vehicles into Syria to protect oil fields, Pentagon chief confirms". Politico. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.

[comeandgo-285] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Hundreds of U.S. Troops Leaving, and Also Arriving in, Syria". The New York Times. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.

[286] "Assad praises Trump as 'most transparent president' after Syria troop withdrawal". The Independent. 3 November 2019.

[isw68645-287] "Americans Finally Left Aleppo Province!". Islamic World News. Retrieved 3 November 2019.

[milleyestimate-288] "Joint chiefs chair: Fewer than 1,000 troops will remain in Syria". The Hill. 10 November 2019.

[289] "Russia establishes new foothold in Syria amid spike in violence". CBS News. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.

[290] "Russian troops take command of U.S. airbase in northern Syria". CBS News. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.

[Esperpullback-291] "U.S. military completes pullback from northeast Syria, Esper says". Reuters. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.

[292] "Meet the US Army team that helped withdraw from Syria as the ISIS fight drags on". Business Insider. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.

[Hassan2020-293] Hassan, Mohammed (January 2020). "Arab Tribes in al-Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor Choose Their Allies". Chatham House. Retrieved 3 August 2021.

[bradleys-294] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Army National Guard Bradley Fighting Vehicles Are Now In Syria Guarding Oil And Gas Fields". The Drive. 31 October 2019.

[295] Trevithick, Joseph. "American Bradley Armored Vehicles Were Pulled Out of Syria After Less Than Two Months". The Drive.

[milit88645-296] "Artillery fire lands near American troops in Syria". Military Times. 4 November 2019.

[sofoil-297] "U.S. Special Ops Soldier Talks To Reporter In Syrian Oil Fields As Mission Remains In Flux". The Drive. 4 November 2019.

[298] "Large US military convoy enters northeastern Syria from Iraq: photos". Al-Masdar News. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.

[299] "Reports: Tensions Grow Between US, Russian Forces in Northeast Syria". VOA News. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.

[300] "Syria war: American troops hurt as Russian and US military vehicles collide". BBC. 27 August 2020.

[301] "US oil company signs deal with Syrian Kurds". Al-Monitor. 30 July 2020.

[302] "Syria says U.S. oil firm signed deal with Kurdish-led rebels". Reuters. 2 August 2020.

[syriaoil-303] Jump up to: ^a ^b Baldor, Lolita (6 November 2019). "Trump OKs wider Syria oil mission, raising legal questions". AP News.

[304] "Syria says U.S. forces clash with Syrian troops, killing 1". ABC News. 17 August 2020.

[305] "US deploys additional troops and armoured vehicles to eastern Syria". The Guardian. 19 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.

[306] "US sends Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Syria to boost security for troops following Russian encounter". ABC News. 19 September 2020.

[307] "U.S. carries out airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia facilities in Syria: Pentagon". Reuters. 26 February 2021.

[308] "US carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia in Syria". ABC News. 26 February 2021.

[309] "US attacks 'Iranian-backed military infrastructure' in Syria". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2021.

[310] "US carries out air strikes in Syria targeting Iranian backed militias". CNN. 26 February 2021.

[311] "U.S. airstrikes target Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq". Politico. 27 June 2021.

[312] "Death toll update – Nine militiamen of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces killed in US airstrikes near Syria-Iraq border • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights". 28 June 2021.

[313] "Syria Accuses US Forces of Smuggling Wheat, Oil to Iraq". Asharq Al-Awsat. 12 May 2021.

[inde98645-314] Kim Sengupta (12 May 2015). "Turkey and Saudi Arabia alarm the West by backing Islamist extremists the Americans had bombed in Syria". The Independent.

[ahram08645-315] "Gulf allies and 'Army of Conquest". Al-Ahram Weekly. 28 May 2015.

[alarab19645-316] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Turkey greenlights military ops in Syria, Iraq". Al Arabiya. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

[ReferenceA-317] Jump up to: ^a ^b Tait, Robert (29 September 2014). "ISIL jihadists bombard Syrian border town despite allied air strikes". The Daily Telegraph. Mürşitpınar, Turkey. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

[cntv29645-318] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Turkey's Syria buffer zone idea not well received". China Central Television. Xinhua News Agency. 11 October 2014. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.

[fox39645-319] Jump up to: ^a ^b "For Obama, enforcing no-fly zone in Syria would mean war or cooperation with Assad government". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.

[fp49645-320] "Joe Biden Is the Only Honest Man in Washington". Foreign Policy. 7 October 2014.

[cnn59645-321] Carter, Chelsea J.; Brumfield, Ben; Mazloumsaki, Sara (6 October 2014). "Vice President Joe Biden apologises to Turkey, UAE". CNN.

[bbc69645-322] "Joe Biden apologised over IS remarks, but was he right?". BBC News. 7 October 2014.

[bbc89645-323] "Turkey enters Syria to evacuate Suleyman Shah tomb". BBC News. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.

[wp99645-324] "In Turkey, soaring support for Syrian offensive and rising anti-Americanism". The Washington Post. 4 February 2018.

[hurri09645-325] Turkey has legitimate security concerns: Mattis Archived 15 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Hürriyet Daily News. 22 January 2018.

[alj10645-326] Turkey to US: Stop YPG support or face 'confrontation' Archived 13 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Al Jazeera. 25 January 2018.

[alj20645-327] "Erdogan: Turkey to set up 'security zone' in Syria". www.aljazeera.com.

[nyt30645-328] Reuters (27 August 2019). "SDF and Kurdish YPG Forces to Pull From Turkey-Syria Border Strip: SDF". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 27 August 2019.

[toi40645-329] Pitarakis, Lefteris; Mroue, Bassem. "Turkey launches assault on Kurdish fighters in Syria, after US forces step aside". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 9 October 2019.

[inde50645-330] "Lindsey Graham turns on Trump over 'disaster' Syria move". The Independent. 7 October 2019.

[fox60645-331] "US-led airstrikes hit four Syrian provinces, activists claim civilians killed". Fox News. Associated Press. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

[alj70645-332] "ISIL closes in on border town with Turkey". Al Jazeera English. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

[hill80645-333] Wong, Kristina (29 September 2014). "Pentagon: No evidence airstrikes killed civilians". The Hill. Retrieved 1 October 2014.

[The_Economist-334] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Unintended consequences: Are U.S.-led air strikes creating a Sunni backlash?". The Economist. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

[huffp90645-335] Becatoros, Elena; Hadid, Dia (18 October 2014). "U.S. Coalition Airstrike On ISIS Gas Station Kills 8 In Syria: Activists". Huffington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 18 October 2014.

[reuters11745-336] Westall, Sylvia (12 November 2014). Chopra, Toby (ed.). "U.S.-led strikes have killed 865 people in Syria, 50 civilians: monitor". Reuters. Beirut, Lebanon. Retrieved 14 November 2014.

[jail-337] Pandey, Avaneesh (12 January 2015). "Northern Syria Coalition Airstrike Killed At Least 50 Civilians In December: Report". International Business Times. Retrieved 19 January 2015.

[bbc21745-338] "Syria crisis: 'Children died' in US air strike". BBC News. 22 May 2015.

[reuters31745-339] Alexander, David (21 May 2015). "U.S. admits two children killed in Islamic State campaign". Reuters India.

[cabs41745-340] "Dozens of civilians killed in alleged U.S. coalition strikes in Syria". CBS News. Associated Press. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

[in51745-341] "Aerial bombing in Anbar kills civilians – Iraqi News".

[airwars.org-342] "Civilian and 'friendly fire' casualties". airwars.org. Retrieved 19 April 2016.

[inde61745-343] 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.

[yah71745-344] US claims Syria strike, denies hitting mosque where 46 killed. Yahoo News. 18 March 2017.

[amnsety81745-345] "Syria: US-led Coalition 'deeply in denial' about civilian casualties in Raqqa" – via Amnesty International.

[smh91745-346] US-led coalition killed up to 6000 civilians in fight against IS: watchdog says. The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 January 2018.

[wp01745-347] "Civilian deaths tripled in U.S.-led campaign against ISIS in 2017, watchdog alleges. The Washington Post. 18 January 2018.

[bbc12745-348] "Syria war: MoD admits civilian died in RAF strike on Islamic State". BBC News.

[guard22745-349] "Syria: RAF admits drone strike killed civilian in attack targeting Isis". The Guardian.

[milit32745-350] "Groups say airstrikes by US-led coalition killed 1,600 civilians in Raqqa". MilitaryTimes. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.

[Airwars_2018-351] "US-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria". Airwars. December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.

[usat42745-352] Jim Michaels, "ISIL loses 45% of territory in Iraq, 20% in Syria ", USA Today, 19 May 2016.

[cnn52745-353] Barbara Starr. "Military: 50,000 ISIS fighters killed". CNN. 9 December 2016.

[once_promised-354] "Once promised paradise, ISIS fighters end up in mass graves". The Straits Times. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.

[ih62745-355] "CJTFOIR Strike Releases March 26 2019" (PDF). CJTF-OIR. Retrieved 26 March 2019.

[356] "Over 10,000 Islamic State fighters active in Iraq, Syria as attacks 'significantly' increase: UN". Military Times. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.

[gall82745-357] Gallup Polling. 24 April 2018.

[tcc92745-358] Americans Support Military Action in Syria Against ISIS. Chicago Council On Foreign Affairs. 15 August 2016.

[359] "CNN Poll: Most Americans are concerned about Syria and think it's likely ISIS will reemerge". CNN. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.

[bi02745-360] Karam, Zeina (30 September 2014). "Syrian Foreign Minister: The US Said 'We Are Not After The Syrian Army' Before Airstrikes". Business Insider. Associated Press. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

[tcc13745-361] Friedhoff, Karl. "Middle East Polling Roundup." The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. 30 December 2015.

[opinion23745-362] "ORB/IIACSS POLL IN IRAQ AND SYRIA GIVES RARE INSIGHT INTO PUBLIC OPINION." ORB International July 2015. PDF link (see table 2).

[big33745-363] Karam, Zeina (22 September 2014). "Syrian Opposition Chief Urges Airstrikes in Syria". Associated Press. Retrieved 4 October 2014. We must begin airstrikes in Syria — immediately as we speak. Time is of essence to avert catastrophe

[thec43745-364] "The will and the way: The coalition may already be losing the fight against Islamic State". The Economist. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[thec53745-365] "Rapidly unravelling: Bashar Assad's impunity is undermining the fight against Islamic State". The Economist. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[thec63745-366] "Can hell be frozen over?: A limited UN ceasefire plan has little hope of success". The Economist. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.

[367] America's Global Image. Pew Research Center. June 2015.

[abc83745-368] "Islamic State: PM Tony Abbott says Government to decide in coming days on order to join Iraq air strikes". ABC News (Australia). 26 September 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.

[huffp93745-369] Bolen, Michael (3 October 2014). "Harper Says Canada Will Bomb ISIS In Syria If Murderous Despot Asks Him To". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

[cnn03745-370] Mullen, CNN, Jethro (21 October 2015). "Canada to pull out of bombing campaign against ISIS". CNN. Retrieved 28 November 2015.

[vlad14745-371] "Ministr Zaorálek podpořil mezinárodní úsilí v boji proti tzv. Islámskému státu" (in Czech). Government of the Czech Republic. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2015.

[econ24745-372] "Cancillería ecuatoriana califica como 'inaceptable' la ofensiva contra Siria". El Comercio (in Spanish). 25 September 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.

[wp34745-373] Morris, Loveday (23 September 2014). "Arab backing for U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria widens front against Islamic State". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

[wp44745-374] Morello, Carol; Gearan, Anne (23 September 2014). "Around world, mixed reactions to U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

[ISISspeech-375] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c Koplowitz, Howard (11 September 2014). "Obama ISIS Speech Reaction: Germany, Turkey Won't Join Airstrikes In Syria; UK Won't Rule Them Out". International Business Times. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[inde54745-376] Saul, Heather (23 September 2014). "Syria air strikes: Iran 'says US attacks on Isis are illegal'". The Independent. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

[guard64745-377] "Iran warns of risk to Israel's security should US seek overthrow of Assad". The Guardian. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.

[wsj74745-378] Torry, Harriet; Winning, Nicholas; Meichtry, Stacy (11 September 2014). "Mixed International Reaction to Obama Plan on Islamic State". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 October 2014.

[dvhn84745-379] "Rutte: begrip voor bombardement Syrië (Dutch)". Dagblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 23 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[guard04745-380] "'More than 90%' of Russian airstrikes in Syria have not targeted Isis, US says". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.

[bbc.co.uk-381] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Syria war: World reaction to US missile attack". BBC News. 7 April 2017.

[wsj15745-382] Albayrak, Ayla; Parkinson, Joe (30 September 2014). "Turkey Government to Ask Parliament for Approval to Join Campaign Against Islamic State". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

[guard25745-383] Sparrow, Andrew; Phipps, Claire (26 September 2014). "UK parliament approves air strikes against Isis in Iraq – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2014.

[dstar35745-384] Coles, Isabel (13 October 2014). "Britain sees no early demand from U.S. for air strikes in Syria". The Daily Star. Reuters. Retrieved 13 October 2014.

[385] Tharoor, Ishaan (15 November 2019). "Trump's perplexing insistence on 'keeping' Middle Eastern oil". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 June 2020.

[dstar45745-386] "UN chief welcomes airstrikes in Syria". Daily Star. Associated Press. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

[ibt55745-387] Shankar, Sneha (25 September 2014). "Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro Calls For 'Re-Founding' Of UN; Slams US-Led Airstrikes In Iraq And Syria". International Business Times. Retrieved 5 October 2014.

[alarab65745-388] "Venezuela leader calls ISIS a Western 'Frankenstein'". Al Arabiya. Agence France-Presse. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.

[38]

[39]

[40]

[41]

[42]

[43]

[44]

[45]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

[34]

[35]

[36]

[37]

[46]

[47]

[48]

[49]

[50]

[51]

[52]

[53]

[54]

[55]

[56]

[57]

[58]

[59]

[60]

[61]

[62]

[63]

[64]

[65]

[66]

[67]

[68]

[69]

[70]

[71]

[72]

[73]

[74]

[75]

[76]

[77]

[78]

[79]

[80]

[81]

[82]

[83]

[84]

[85]

[86]

[87]

[88]

[89]

[90]

[91]

[92]

[93]

[94]

[95]

[96]

[97]

[98]

[99]

[100]

show v t International military intervention against ISIL
Operations in Syria	Iranian-led intervention in Syria American rescue mission (4 July 2014) American-led intervention in Syria (22 September 2014 – present) Jordanian intervention in Syria (22 September 2014 – present) Turkish intervention in Syria (24 August 2016 – 29 March 2017) Russian intervention in Syria (30 September 2015 – present) French intervention in Syria (November 2015 – present) British intervention in Syria (2 December 2015 – present) German intervention in Syria (4 December 2015 – present) Dutch involvement in the Syrian civil war (29 January 2014 – present) Barisha raid (26–27 October 2019)
Operations in Iraq	Iranian-led intervention in Iraq (13 June 2014 – present) American-led intervention in Iraq (15 June 2014 – present) Withdrawal British intervention in Iraq (9 August 2014 – present) Australian intervention in Iraq (31 August 2014 – present) Canadian intervention in Iraq (4 September 2014 – present) French intervention in Iraq (19 September 2014 – present) Turkey–ISIL conflict German intervention in Iraq (4 December 2015 – present)
Operations in Libya	Egyptian airstrikes in Libya (16 February 2015)
Operations in Afghanistan	American-led intervention in Afghanistan (2015–2021) 2017 Nangarhar airstrike
Battles	Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) First Battle of Tikrit Northern Iraq offensive (August 2014) Battle for Mosul Dam Battle of Zumar Sinjar massacre Siege of Amirli Siege of Kobanî Battle of Suq al Ghazi Salahuddin campaign (2014–2016) Battle of Baiji (2014–2015) Battle of Ramadi (2014–2015) Battle of Baiji (2014–2015) December 2014 Sinjar offensive Derna campaign (2014–2016) Eastern al-Hasakah offensive Second Battle of Tikrit Battle of Sarrin (March–April 2015) Anbar campaign (2015–2016) Palmyra offensive (May 2015) Western al-Hasakah offensive Al-Hasakah city offensive (May–June 2015) Tell Abyad offensive Battle of Sarrin (June–July 2015) Battle of al-Hasakah (June–August 2015) Kobanî massacre Battle of Ramadi (2015–2016) 2015 al-Hawl offensive November 2015 Sinjar offensive Nineveh Plains offensive Tishrin Dam offensive Siege of Fallujah (2016) Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016) Northern Aleppo offensive (March–June 2016) Hīt offensive (2016) Mosul offensive (2016) Battle of Sirte (2016) Battle of Ar-Rutbah (2016) Northern Raqqa offensive (May 2016) Third Battle of Fallujah (2016) Manbij offensive (2016) 2016 Abu Kamal offensive Operation Euphrates Shield Battle of Mosul (2016–2017) Raqqa campaign (2016–2017) Battle of Tabqa (2017) Battle of Raqqa (2017) Syrian Desert campaign (December 2016–April 2017) Battle of Tal Afar (2017) Deir ez-Zor campaign (2017–2019) Battle of Hawija (2017) 2017 Western Iraq campaign
Related	Defeating ISIS Aerial order of battle Ground order of battle Iran and ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve Timeline of the American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war American military intervention in Cameroon Response of Saudi Arabia to ISIL Collaborationism List of military awards and decorations of the international military intervention against ISIL
War in Iraq (2013–2017) Syrian civil war

show v t Armed conflicts involving the United States Armed Forces
listed chronologically
Domestic	Shays' Rebellion Whiskey Rebellion Fries's Rebellion Turner's Rebellion Mormon War Dorr Rebellion Bleeding Kansas Utah War Civil War Indian Wars Brooks–Baxter War Range War Lincoln County War Johnson County War Coal Creek War Homestead strike Battle of Blair Mountain Tulsa Riot Bonus Army Puerto Rican revolts 1960s civil unrest Kent State shooting Los Angeles riots 2020 unrest D.C. attack
Foreign	Revolutionary War Quasi-War First Barbary War War of 1812 Second Barbary War First Sumatran expedition Second Sumatran expedition Ivory Coast expedition Mexican–American War First Fiji expedition Second Opium War Second Fiji expedition Formosa Expedition Korean Expedition Spanish–American War Philippine–American War Boxer Rebellion Banana Wars Border War World War I Russian Civil War World War II Korean War Bay of Pigs invasion Vietnam War Invasion of the Dominican Republic Invasion of Grenada Lebanese Civil War Tanker War 1986 bombing of Libya Invasion of Panama Gulf War 1993 missile strikes on Iraq Somali Civil War 1996 missile strikes on Iraq 1998 bombing of Iraq Bosnian War Kosovo War Afghanistan War Iraq War War in North-West Pakistan First Libyan Civil War Intervention against ISIL Iraq Syria Cameroon Libya Yemeni Civil War
Related	List of conflicts in the U.S. List of wars involving the U.S. Timeline of U.S. military operations Length of U.S. participation in major wars Overseas expansion Military history Covert regime-change actions Casualties of war Peace movement List of anti-war organizations Conscientious objector War on Terror

show v t List of modern conflicts in the Middle East
1910s	World War I Middle Eastern theatre Arab Revolt Armenian genocide Assyrian genocide Mount Lebanon starvation Unification of Saudi Arabia Simko Shikak revolt Egyptian Revolution of 1919 Turkish War of Independence Greco-Turkish War Turkish–Armenian War Franco-Turkish War Revolts Mahmud Barzanji revolts
1920s	Franco-Syrian War Iraqi revolt of 1920 Intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine Adwan Rebellion Arab separatism in Khuzestan Great Syrian Revolt Sheikh Said rebellion
1930s	Ararat rebellion Ahmed Barzani revolt Simele massacre Saudi–Yemeni War (1934) Goharshad Mosque rebellion 1935–1936 Iraqi Shia revolts 1935 Yazidi revolt Dersim rebellion
1940s	World War II Italian bombing of Palestine Anglo-Iraqi War Syria–Lebanon campaign Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran 1943 Barzani revolt Alwaziri coup Al-Wathbah uprising Kurdish separatism in Iran Iran crisis of 1946 Arab–Israeli conflict 1947–1949 Palestine war
1950s	Egyptian revolution of 1952 1953 Iranian coup d'état Jebel Akhdar War Cyprus Emergency Suez Crisis Yemeni–Adenese clan violence 1958 Lebanon crisis 1958 Iraqi revolution 1959 Mosul uprising
1960s	Cyprus crisis of 1963–1964 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict First Iraqi–Kurdish War Dhofar Rebellion North Yemen Civil War Feb. 1963 Iraqi coup Mar. 1963 Syrian coup Nov. 1963 Iraqi coup Aden Emergency 1964 Hama riot Israeli–Palestinian conflict 1966 Syrian coup d'état
1970s	Black September in Jordan Yemenite War of 1972 Turkish invasion of Cyprus Shatt al-Arab clashes Lebanese Civil War Political violence in Turkey Islamist uprising in Syria 1977 Shia uprising in Iraq NDF Rebellion Yemenite War of 1979 Iranian Revolution Consolidation of the Iranian Revolution 1979 Qatif Uprising Grand Mosque seizure 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq
1980s	Iran–Iraq War 1980 Turkish coup d'état Kurdish separatism in Turkey Turkey–PKK conflict South Yemen Civil War 1986 Egyptian conscripts riot 1986 Damascus bombings Mecca massacre Abu Nidal's executions
1990s	Gulf War (1990–1991) 1991 uprisings in Iraq Terror campaign in Egypt (1990s) Yemeni Civil War (1994) Iraqi Kurdish Civil War Islamic insurgency in Saudi Arabia (2000–present) Operation Desert Fox al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen 1999 Shia uprising in Iraq
2000s	Iraq War Balochi insurgency in Iran 2004 Qamishli riots Houthi insurgency in Yemen Iran–Israel proxy conflict 2006 Lebanon War Fatah–Hamas conflict South Yemen insurgency
2010s	Bahraini uprising of 2011 Egyptian Crisis Sinai insurgency Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present) Syrian civil war Turkish involvement in Syria Syrian War spillover in Lebanon Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) War in Iraq (2013–2017) ISIL insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) Yemeni Crisis Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis
This list includes World War I and later conflicts (after 1914) of at least 100 fatalities each Prolonged conflicts are listed in the decade when initiated; ongoing conflicts are marked italic, and conflicts with +100,000 killed with bold.

show v t Presidency of Donald Trump
Campaigns	2000 presidential campaign 2016 presidential campaign Make America Great Again rallies Republican primaries endorsements debates convention General election endorsements debates reactions Assassination attempt Never Trump movement Mitt Romney's anti-Trump speech Republican opposition in 2016 Republican opposition in 2020 Sexual misconduct allegations Access Hollywood recording Wiretapping allegations 2020 presidential campaign endorsements political non-political rallies Republican reactions to Trump's 2020 election fraud claims
Tenure	Transition Inauguration speech Opinion polling 2017 2018 2019 Social media 2018 midterm elections Government shutdowns January 2018 2018–2019 Executive actions proclamations Executive clemency pardon of Joe Arpaio Travel bans reactions legal challenges protests replacement Family separation policy Migrant detentions Operation Faithful Patriot Stormy Daniels scandal Anonymous senior official op-ed Relations with Israel Jerusalem recognition Golan Heights recognition Peace plan Abraham Accords UAE Bahrain Sudan Morocco Kosovo–Serbia agreement North Korea crisis Singapore summit Hanoi summit DMZ summit 2019–2021 Persian Gulf crisis Trump–Ukraine scandal Relations with Russia Helsinki summit Russian bounty program Famer bailouts Saudi Arabia arms deal Syria strikes 2017 2018 Taiwan call Withdrawal from the Iran deal Death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Assassination of Qasem Soleimani COVID-19 pandemic Communication Federal government data breach Presidential Library
Timeline	First 100 days 2017 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2018 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2019 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2020 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 January 2021 Trips 2017 2018 2019 2020–2021 international Riyadh summit Singapore summit Helsinki summit Hanoi summit DMZ summit
Policies	Economy tax cuts tariffs China trade war Environment Paris Agreement withdrawal Foreign policy as candidate as President America First Immigration Racial views Social issues cannabis
Personnel	Cabinet formation Federal judges Gorsuch Kavanaugh Barrett Supreme Court candidates controversies Ambassadors Attorneys Economic advisors Withdrawn appointees Short-tenure appointees Dismissals and resignations attorneys Yates Comey Tillerson McMaster Pruitt inspectors general
Notable events	Business projects in Russia Links with Russian officials Trump Tower meeting Steele dossier Crossfire Hurricane Classified information disclosures Russian election interference timeline until July 2016 July 2016–election day transition period Special Counsel investigation Mueller report Barr letter Timeline of investigations transition period January–June 2017 July–December 2017 January–June 2018 July–December 2018 January–June 2019 July–December 2019 2020–2021 Impeachments efforts impeachment inquiry first impeachment first trial second impeachment second trial Photo op at St. John's Church Tulsa rally White House COVID-19 outbreak Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference 2020–21 U.S. election protests 2021 U.S. Capitol attack timeline aftermath continued protests reactions domestic international
Opposition	Lawsuits Protests timeline 2017 Women's March March for Science Impeachment March family separation policy protests

American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war

Contents

Background[]

Pre-coalition arming and training of the Syrian opposition[]

July 2014 rescue mission[]

Surveillance flights over Syria[]

U.S.-led coalition against ISIL[]

Support for Kurdish-led ground forces[]

Coalition arming and training of the Syrian opposition[]

Timeline[]

Multinational air war[]

Preparations for U.S. airstrikes[]

Contributing countries[]

Airstrikes on the Khorasan Group[]

Ground operations[]

2015–16[]

2017–18[]

2019 drawdown of U.S. ground forces[]

Withdrawal from north Syria[]

2019–20: Eastern Syria redeployment[]

2021–present: Developments under Biden administration[]

Turkish involvement[]

Northern Syria Buffer Zone[]

Reports of civilian casualties and war crimes[]

Results[]

Reactions[]

Domestic U.S. approval[]

Syrian reactions[]

International reactions[]

See also[]

References[]

External links[]