Foreign involvement in Syria’s civil war

As Syria’s long-running civil war winds down slowly, the country is awash with weapons and a bewildering array of local militias and thousands of foreign troops, some of which may never leave

AREAS OF CONTROL (Nov 28)
Syrian government and allies
Syrian rebel groups
Turkish troops and allies
So-called Islamic State (IS)
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (U.S-backed)

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has regained control over large parts of Syria but is heavily reliant on support from Russia and Iran

United States Number of troops in north may exceed 1,500 – including special forces, Marine artillery unit and forward air controllers. Presence could be maintained until settlement for war is found

Russia: Plans to maintain and expand main bases at Hemeimeem and Tartus. Troop count could exceed Sep 2016 figure of 4,300, as Moscow has this year deployed military police to patrol Syria’s so-called “de-escalation zones”

Iran: Revolutionary Guards, Iranian officers and tens of thousands of militia deployed across Syria, plus Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon. Iran reportedly building permanent base in Syria

Turkey: At least 2,500 troops  in border zone retaken from IS in 2016, plus 400 in Idlib province as part of de-escalation agreement with Russia and Iran. Key strategy is to limit expansion of Syrian Kurds

TURKEY
Aleppo
Idlib Homs
Raqqa Deir al-Zour
IRAQ
Mediterranean Sea
LEBANON
SYRIA Damascus
J O R D A N
100km 60 miles

Sources: Associated Press, LiveUAMap

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