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1 1 (April 19, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govefpg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service I forming the I ~gisIativ debate iii ii 1914 Updated April 19, 2022 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, Iran, Israel, and the United States. The United States seeks a negotiated political settlement to the Syria conflict and the enduring defeat of the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS/ISIL). Challenges for U.S. policymakers include: responding to threats posed by IS remnants and detainees, countering groups linked to Al Qaeda, facilitating humanitarian access, and managing Russian and Iranian challenges to U.S. operations in Syria. For a conflict chronology, see CRS In Focus IF11080, Syria Conflict Overview: 2011-2021, by Carla E. Humud. Syria in 2022: Protracted Stalemate In early 2022, U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pederson described the conflict in Syria-between the Syrian government and its partners on one side and various opposition and extremist groups on the other side-as a stalemate, noting that militarily, front lines remain unshifted. Pederson also warned that any of a number of flashpoints could ignite a broader conflagration. Several rival administrations hold territory in Syria, including: The Asad Government The Asad government-backed by Russia, Iran, and aligned 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. Pockets of armed resistance to Asad rule remain, particularly in the south. Kurdish-Arab Military and Civilian Authorities Following the defeat of the Islamic State by the 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)-shown in yellow in Figure 1. 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 with opposition forces. 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 the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) due to its links to Al Qaeda. Many residents of this area have been displaced from areas of Syria now under Asad control, and an estimated 75% depend on U.N. assistance to meet their basic needs. Armed extremist groups also operate in this region. Figure I. Syria: Areas of Influence Areas of Influence A pril 4, 2022 Data: Janes Conflict Monitor Source: CRS, using ESRI and U.S. State Department data. Turkish Forces and Aligned Militias Turkish-held areas of northern Syria include territories occupied in three military operations by Turkish forces in cooperation with Syrian Arab proxy forces (Operations Peace Spring, Euphrates Shield, and Olive Branch). 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. Many of the original inhabitants of Turkish-held areas remain in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in AANES-held areas. The Islamic State U.S. military officials assess that the Islamic State remains entrenched as a cohesive, low-level insurgency, focusing its activities against Asad government forces in southwest Syria and the central Syrian desert, and against the SDF in northern and eastern Syria. In 2021, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) assessed that, ISIS likely has sufficient manpower and resources to operate indefinitely at its present level in the Syrian desert. In February 2022, a U.S. military operation in Idlib resulted in the death of IS leader Abu Ibrahim al Qurashi, also known as Hajji Abdullah. In March the group named a new leader. Some reports have identified him as Juma Awad al Badri, an Iraqi national and brother of former IS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Islamic State Detainees. The SDF continues to hold about 10,000 IS fighters in detention facilities across northern Syria. In January 2022, U.S. air and ground forces in Syria joined SDF partner forces in a lengthy battle to retake a prison seized by IS fighters. It was the largest U.S. military .conaress.qov

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