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The end of Syria’s forever war

Rapid advances by Syrian opposition forces end a war that began with peaceful protests before spiralling out of control.

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The end of Syria’s forever war
By Danylo Hawaleshka
Published On 10 Dec 2024

History Illustrated is a series of perspectives that puts news events and current affairs into historical context using graphics generated with artificial intelligence.

The end of Syria’s forever war
The end came fast. The opposition offensive, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, began on November 27. Aleppo fell first, then Hama, and in a blink of an eye, Damascus.. And just like that, after more than 13 years of war, and more than 600,000 killed, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was gone.
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The end of Syria’s forever war
The war had begun in 2011. With the Arab Spring as a backdrop, children in Deraa were accused of scrawling graffiti that demanded al-Assad step down. Their arrest and torture led to protests, peaceful at first.
The end of Syria’s forever war
Then, President Bashar al-Assad’s men began shooting people dead. Protests spread. Al-Assad vaguely promised change while blaming “saboteurs” for the violence.
The end of Syria’s forever war
Soon, some of al-Assad’s soldiers defected, forming the Free Syrian Army, one of many such groups.
The end of Syria’s forever war
By 2012, it was a full-on civil war, with cities like Homs, Aleppo and Damascus coming under heavy fire.
The end of Syria’s forever war
The next year, the Assad regime gained infamy for a chemical nerve agent attack in Ghouta. As Syria imploded, groups like al-Nusra Front, affiliated with al-Qaeda, gained ground. In 2014, ISIL (ISIS) declared a caliphate in eastern Syria and in Iraq.
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The end of Syria’s forever war
By 2015, it was all-in. Russia came to al-Assad’s rescue, with airpower and military advisers. The US focused on the northeast, with air strikes to help the Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Kurds. Turkiye targeted the Kurds. And Iran, having sided with al-Assad, deepened its role.
The end of Syria’s forever war
Sieges against rebel strongholds over the next two years caused catastrophic displacement and loss of life. By 2018, the al-Assad regime was back in control, with the fighting reduced to a prolonged deadlock.
The end of Syria’s forever war
Now, the opposition has laid claim to all of Syria. Prisons have been thrown open, political detainees freed. Refugees abroad are returning to what’s left of home. And, for now at least, people in Syria are allowing themselves some measure of joy, as they no doubt also weigh all that they’ve lost.