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Syria’s Decade Long Civil War

Syria's Decade Long Civil War
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DAMASCUS – Syria’s Decade Long Civil War. Syria’s civil war has entered its 10th year on Sunday. With President Bashar al-Assad’s regime consolidating its hold over the country where foreign powers are flexing their muscle.

According to details, this all started when Syrian anti-government demonstrators first took to the streets on March 15, 2011. They could scarcely have imagined their protests would turn into a complex war entangling rebels, jihadists and outside forces.

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The protests spread across Syria, but a violent crackdown soon saw rebels take up arms and wrest key areas from government control. Jihadist groups also emerged, notably the Islamic State group. Which swept across large parts of the country and neighbouring Iraq in 2014.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that at least 384,000 people have since died including more than 116,000 civilians. The war has left cities and villages in ruins, and has shattered the economy. Displacing more than 11 million people internally and abroad, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and Europe. Syria’s Decade Long Civil War.

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Assad, with the military support of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, has clawed back control of over 70 percent of Syria. Neighbouring Turkey has deployed its troops across the border in Idlib province. Which is now the last rebel bastion and refugee of millions of displaced people.

Other foreign powers still operating in Syria include the United States. Whose troops are still stationed in the northeast, in a semi-autonomous Kurdish zone. And Israel regularly carries out air strikes on Syrian, Hezbollah, and Iranian military positions.

The war has ravaged Syria’s economy and infrastructure. The United Nations estimated in 2018 that the conflict had caused nearly $400 billion in war-related destruction.

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