Eastern Syria insurgency facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eastern Syria insurgency
Part of the Rojava conflict and the Syrian civil war
Map of areas held by the SDF (in green)
Date 11 October 2017 – present (6 years, 11 months and 3 weeks) Location Portions of eastern Syria Status Ongoing

The Eastern Syria insurgency is an armed insurgency being waged by remnants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and both pro and anti-Syrian government Arab nationalist insurgents, against the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), its military (the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)), and their allies in the US-led Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) coalition.

Background

The insurgency began after a series of campaigns in 2016 and 2017 which took territory from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, led by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the CJTF-OIR. This eventually resulted in the taking of the Islamic State capital of Raqqa, and other areas in the Aleppo, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor Governorates. These are Arab-majority areas, often with large Turkmen minorities, some of whom resented the Kurdish influence in the SDF.

Multiple factions, made up mostly of Arabs, have formed armed groups in support of either the Syrian opposition or Syrian government, with additional Islamic State remnants operating as clandestine cells who have emerged in areas captured by the SDF and the coalition during the 2016-2017 campaigns. These groups have also utilized guerilla tactics to target the SDF and Coalition forces, including assassinations, hit and run attacks, rocket attacks and use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Attacks have occurred in cities across Rojava, including Manbij, Raqqa and Hasakah.