Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war
Turkey's involvement in the Syrian Civil War began diplomatically and later escalated militarily. Initially, Turkey condemned the Syrian government at the outbreak of civil unrest in Syria during the spring of 2011; the Turkish government's involvement gradually evolved into military assistance for the Free Syrian Army in July 2011, border clashes in 2012, and direct military interventions in 2016–17, in 2018, in 2019, 2020, and in 2022. The military operations have resulted in the Turkish occupation of northern Syria since August 2016.
Image: Turkish Army Captured Afrin 01
Image: Afrine ASL Bursaya 29 01 18 (2)
Image: Barış Pınarı Hârekatı sonrası Resulayn (Serêkanî) bombalanıyor
Image: Turkish patrol
The Syrian civil war is an ongoing multi-sided conflict in Syria involving various state-sponsored and non-state actors.
In March 2011, popular discontent with the rule of Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring protests in the region. After months of crackdown by the government's security apparatus, various armed rebel groups such as the Free Syrian Army began forming across the country, marking the beginning of the Syrian insurgency. By mid-2012, the crisis had escalated into a full-blown civil war.
Improvised artillery found after the battle of Aleppo in 2016
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces announcing the Deir ez-Zor campaign in 2017
Syrian refugees in Lebanon living in cramped quarters (6 August 2012)
Wounded civilians arrive at a hospital in Aleppo, October 2012