https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated July 15, 2024
Syria and U.S. Policy
Since 2011, conflict between the government of Syrian
President Bashar al Asad and opposition forces seeking his
removal has displaced roughly half of the country’s
population and killed over half a million people. Five
countries operate in or maintain military forces in Syria:
Russia, Turkey (Türkiye), Iran, Israel, and the United
States. The United States supports a negotiated political
settlement to the Syria conflict in accordance with U.N.
Security Council Resolution 2254 and seeks the enduring
defeat of the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS/ISIL). U.S.
policymakers work to address threats posed by IS remnants
and detainees, counter Al Qaeda, facilitate humanitarian
access to Syria, and manage Russian, Turkish, and Iranian
challenges to U.S. operations. Earthquakes in February
2023 and resurgent Russia-backed government attacks on
rebel held areas of northwest Syria created additional
humanitarian needs. Following the October 2023 terrorist
attacks in Israel and Israel’s military operations in Gaza,
Iran-backed militia have attacked U.S. military personnel in
Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, prompting U.S. response strikes.
Strikes in Syria attributed to Israel continue.
Areas of Control
The Asad Government
The Asad government—backed by Russia, Iran, and
aligned Syrian and foreign militia forces—controls about
two thirds of Syria’s territory, including most major cities.
In 2021, President Asad won a fourth seven-year term; U.S.
officials described the election as “an insult to democracy.”
Some armed resistance to Asad’s rule remains, but the Arab
League and some Arab states have normalized relations
with the government and engage Asad and his senior
officials.
Kurdish-Arab Military and Civilian Authorities
After the defeat of the Islamic State by the largely Kurdish
U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Kurdish
authorities and their Arab partners in northeast Syria
established the Autonomous Administration of North and
East Syria (AANES), also known as the Self
Administration of Northeast Syria (SANES). The SDF and
its political wing (the Syrian Democratic Council, SDC)
play a leading role in the AANES, whose leaders have
stated that it is not aligned with either the Asad government
or opposition forces. Turkey opposes Kurdish autonomy in
Syria and clashes with the main Kurdish group within the
SDF because of its links with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization
(FTO). Turkish strikes in Syria following an October 2023
PKK attack in Turkey damaged civilian infrastructure in
areas under AANES control. Some Arab tribal forces have
taken up arms against the SDF since August 2023, with
reported Syrian government support.
Opposition and Extremist Forces
Opposition-held areas of northwest Syria are administered
by the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG). The SSG was
established in 2017 and is affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al
Sham, which is an FTO due to its links to Al Qaeda. Many
residents of this area have been displaced from areas of
Syria under Asad control, and an estimated 75% depend on
U.N. assistance to meet their basic needs.
Turkish Forces and Aligned Militias
Turkish-held areas of northern Syria include territories
occupied by Turkish forces in cooperation with Syrian Arab
proxy forces. In these areas, Turkey has established local
councils subordinate to the Turkish provinces they border,
with Turkish provincial governments overseeing the
provision of some basic services.
Figure 1. Syria: Areas of Influence
Source: CRS, using ESRI and U.S. State Department data. Gray areas
remote and largely uninhabited.
The Islamic State
U.S. military officials assess that the Islamic State operates
as a cohesive, low-level insurgency, targeting Asad
government forces in southwest Syria and the central Syrian
desert, and the SDF in northern and eastern Syria.
Islamic State Detainees. The SDF continues to hold about
10,000 IS fighters in 26 detention facilities across northern
Syria. In January 2022, U.S. forces joined SDF forces in a
lengthy battle to retake a prison seized by IS fighters. The
SDF also retains custody of nearly 46,000 people linked to
the Islamic State (mostly women and children) at the Al
Hol and Roj displaced persons camps. U.S. officials assess
that the Islamic State “views its fighters in detention and the
population in the Al Hol displaced persons camp as keys to
its resurgence.” The FY2024 Consolidated Appropriations
Act (P.L. 118-47) directed $25 million to the U.S.
government Al Hol Action Plan.
2023 Earthquakes
In February 2023, successive 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude
earthquakes struck southern Turkey near the Syrian border,
