<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably . The readable prose size is 137 kilobytes . Please consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding or removing subheadings. (April 2017) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably . The readable prose size is 137 kilobytes . Please consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding or removing subheadings. (April 2017) </Td> </Tr> <Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="4"> Syrian Civil War </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="4"> Part of the Arab Spring, the Arab Winter, the spillover of the Iraq conflict and the Iran--Saudi Arabia proxy conflict </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="4"> Military situation in May 2018: Syrian Arab Republic Syrian opposition Democratic Federation of Northern Syria Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Tahrir al - Sham (For a full list of combatants see order of battle) (For a more detailed, up - to - date, interactive map, see Template: Syrian Civil War detailed map) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="4"> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Date </Th> <Td> 15 March 2011 (2011 - 03 - 15)--present (7 years, 3 months and 4 days) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Location </Th> <Td> Syria (with spillovers in neighboring countries) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Status </Th> <Td> Ongoing </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Territorial changes </Th> <Td> As of 4 May 2018: the government held 60.2% of Syrian territories; (SDF) - held territory constituted 26.7%; 10.1% was controlled by rebel groups (including HTS) and Turkey; 3% was held by ISIL </Td> </Tr> </Table> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="4"> Main belligerents </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Syrian Arab Republic <Ul> <Li> Pro-government armed groups </Li> </Ul> Hezbollah Iran Russia (from 2015) Support: (show) <Ul> <Li> Iraq </Li> </Ul> </Td> <Td> Syrian opposition <Ul> <Li> Free Syrian Army </Li> </Ul> <P> Turkey (from 2016) </P> <Ul> <Li> Turkish - backed armed groups </Li> </Ul> Support: (show) <Ul> <Li> United States (2011--17) </Li> <Li> Saudi Arabia </Li> <Li> Qatar </Li> </Ul> <P> Syrian Liberation Front (Ahrar al - Sham) </P> <Ul> <Li> Islamic Front / SIF (2012--15) </Li> </Ul> <P> Jaysh al - Islam </P> Support: (show) <Ul> <Li> Turkey </Li> <Li> Saudi Arabia </Li> <Li> Qatar </Li> </Ul> <P> Tahrir al - Sham </P> <Ul> <Li> Al - Nusra Front (2012--17) </Li> <Li> Guardians of Religion Organization </Li> </Ul> </Td> <Td> Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (from 2013) Support: (show) <Ul> <Li> Saudi Arabia </Li> <Li> Al - Qaeda (2013--14) </Li> </Ul> </Td> <Td> Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (SDF) (from 2012) <Ul> <Li> YPG / YPJ </Li> <Li> Other armed groups </Li> </Ul> Support: (show) <Ul> <Li> United States (from 2014) </Li> <Li> Russia (2015--18) </Li> <Li> France (from 2016) </Li> <Li> PKK </Li> <Li> PUK (from 2013) </Li> <Li> KDP (2013--15) </Li> </Ul> CJTF--OIR (from 2014) (show) <Ul> <Li> Current participants: Australia </Li> <Li> France </Li> <Li> Germany </Li> <Li> Jordan </Li> <Li> Netherlands </Li> <Li> Norway </Li> <Li> United Kingdom </Li> <Li> United States </Li> <Li> Withdrew in 2017: Belgium </Li> <Li> Withdrew in 2016: Bahrain </Li> <Li> Denmark </Li> <Li> Morocco </Li> <Li> Qatar </Li> <Li> Saudi Arabia </Li> <Li> UAE </Li> <Li> Withdrew in 2015: Canada </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="4"> Commanders and leaders </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Bashar al - Assad (President of Syria) </Li> <Li> Ali Abdullah Ayyoub (Minister of Defense) </Li> <Li> Issam Hallaq (Chief of Staff of the Air Force) </Li> <Li> Suheil al - Hassan (Commander of Tiger Forces) </Li> <Li> Ali Mamlouk (Director of the National Security Bureau) </Li> <Li> Rafiq Shahadah (Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Ali Khamenei (Supreme Leader of Iran) </Li> <Li> Qasem Soleimani (Commander of Quds Force) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Vladimir Putin (President of Russia) </Li> </Ul> Killed in action: (show) <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Issam Zahreddine (Major General of the Republican Guard) </Li> <Li> Assef Shawkat (Deputy Minister of Defense) </Li> <Li> Dawoud Rajiha (Minister of Defense) </Li> <Li> Rustum Ghazaleh (Head of Syrian National Intelligence) </Li> <Li> Hilal al - Assad </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Hossein Hamadani (IRGC Major General) </Li> <Li> Hassan Shateri (Senior Commander of IRGC) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Samir Kuntar (Senior Commander of Hezbollah) </Li> <Li> Mustafa Badreddine (Military Leader of Hezbollah) </Li> <Li> Mohamad Issa (Hezbollah Chief of Operations in Syria) </Li> <Li> Jihad Mughniyah (Hezbollah Head of Security) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Ali Reza Tavassoli (Leader of Liwa Fatemiyoun) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Lt. Gen Valery Asapov </Li> </Ul> </Td> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Bashar al - Zoubi (Commander of the Southern Front) </Li> <Li> Jamal Maarouf (SRF commander, 2012--14) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Lt. Gen. Zekai Aksakallı (Operations chief commander, 2016--17) </Li> <Li> Lt. Gen. İsmail Metin Temel (Operations chief commander, 2017--18) </Li> </Ul> Killed in action: (show) <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Abdul Qader Saleh (Founder of al - Tawhid Brigade) </Li> </Ul> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Abu Yahia al - Hamawi (Leader of Ahrar al - Sham) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Ahmed Issa al - Sheikh (Leader of the Islamic Front, 2012--15) </Li> </Ul> Killed in action: (show) <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Hassan Aboud (Leader of Ahrar al - Sham) </Li> <Li> Abu Khalid al - Suri (senior al - Qaeda Commander, founding member of Ahrar al - Sham) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Zahran Alloush (Islamic Front Military Chief) </Li> </Ul> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Abu Mohammad al - Julani (Tahrir al - Sham commander) </Li> <Li> Abu Jaber Shaykh (Tahrir al - Sham Shura council head) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Abu Humam al - Shami (Guardians of Religion Organization commander, former al - Nusra Front military chief) </Li> </Ul> Killed in action: (show) <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Abu Firas al - Suri (Spokesperson of al - Nusra Front) </Li> <Li> Abu Hajer al - Homsi (al - Nusra Front military chief) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Muhsin al - Fadhli (Leader of Khorasan) </Li> </Ul> </Td> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Abu Bakr al - Baghdadi (Leader of ISIL) </Li> <Li> Abu Fatima al - Jaheishi (Deputy Leader) </Li> <Li> Abu Muhammad al - Maqdisi (Leader of the Khalid ibn al - Walid Army, since 2016) </Li> </Ul> Killed in action: (show) <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Haji Bakr (Former Deputy leader of ISIL and Head of Military Council) </Li> <Li> Abu Ayman al - Iraqi (Former Head of Military Council) </Li> <Li> Abu Ali al - Anbari (Deputy, Syria) </Li> <Li> Abu Omar al - Shishani (War Minister) </Li> <Li> Abu Umar al - Tunisi (Senior Leader) </Li> <Li> Abu Sayyaf (Oil Minister) </Li> <Li> Abu Muslim al - Turkmani (Deputy Leader) </Li> <Li> Abu Abdulrahman al - Bilawi (Head of Military Council) </Li> <Li> Gulmurod Khalimov (Minister of War) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Muhammad al - Baridi (Founder of Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade) </Li> </Ul> </Td> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Riad Darar (Co-chairperson of the MSD) </Li> <Li> Îlham Ehmed (Co-chairperson of the MSD) </Li> <Li> Salih Muhammad (Co-President of the PYD) </Li> <Li> Asya Abdullah (Co-President of the PYD) </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> Sipan Hemo (Commander of the YPG) </Li> </Ul> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> Stephen J. Townsend (Commander of CJTF - OIR) </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="4"> Strength </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <P> Syrian Armed Forces: 180,000 General Security Directorate: 8,000 National Defense Force: 80,000 Ba'ath Brigades: 7,000 Hezbollah: 6,000--8,000 Liwa Al - Quds: 4,000 - 8,000 Russia: 4,000 troops and 1,000 contractors Iran: 3,000--5,000 </P> Other allied groups: 20,000 + </Td> <Td> <P> Free Syrian Army: 20,000 - 32,000 (2013) Islamic Front: 40,000--70,000 (2014) Other groups: 12,500 (2015) Turkish Armed Forces: 4,000--8,000 </P> <P> Ahrar al - Sham: 18,000--20,000 + (March 2017) </P> Tahrir al - Sham: 31,000 </Td> <Td> 15,000--20,000 (U.S. claim, late 2016) 1,000 (U.S. claim, late 2017) </Td> <Td> <P> SDF: 50,000 + </P> <Ul> <Li> YPG and YPJ: 57,000--60,000 (most, not all, part of the SDF) </Li> <Li> Syriac Military Council (MFS): 2,000 </Li> <Li> Al - Sanadid Forces: 4,500 + </Li> <Li> SDF Military Councils: 10,000 + </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="4"> Casualties and losses </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> <P> Syrian Government: 63,820--98,820 soldiers killed 48,814--62,814 militiamen killed 4,700 soldiers and militiamen and 2,000 supporters captured Hezbollah: 1,630--1,800 killed Russia: 93 soldiers and 150--200 contractors killed </P> Other non-Syrian fighters: 7,686 killed (559--2,062 Iranians) </Td> <Td> <P> 125,399--166,399 fighters killed 979 protesters killed </P> Turkey: 155 soldiers killed (2016--18 ground incursions) </Td> <Td> 24,232 + killed (per SOHR) 20,711 + killed (per YPG and SAA) </Td> <Td> <P> DFNS: 3,834 killed </P> CJTF--OIR: 6 killed </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="4"> <P> 106,390--110,218 (3,284 foreign; mostly Palestinian) civilian deaths documented by opposition 100 other foreign soldiers killed (60, 17 (pre -' 16), 16, 7) </P> <P> Total killed: 353,593--498,593 (March 2018 SOHR estimate) 470,000 (February 2016 SCPR estimate) </P> <P> Over 7,600,000 internally displaced (July 2015 UNHCR estimate) </P> Over 5,116,097 refugees (July 2017 registered by UNHCR) <P> Since early 2013, the FSA has been decentralized with their name being arbitrarily used by various rebels . Turkey has provided arms support to the rebels since 2011 . Since Aug. 2016, Turkey has fought alongside the TFSA in Aleppo governorate against the SDF, ISIL and later the Syrian government . Sep.--Nov. 2016, the U.S. fought alongside the TFSA in Aleppo governorate solely against ISIL . In 2017--18, the U.S. intentionally attacked the Syrian government 10 times, while in Sep. 2016 it accidentally hit a Syrian base, killing over 100 SAA soldiers . Syria maintains that this was an intentional attack . HTS's predecessor (the Al - Nusra Front) and ISIL's predecessor (ISI) were allied al - Qaeda branches until April 2013 . An ISI - proposed merger of the two into ISIL was rejected by the Al - Nusra Front and al - Qaeda cut all affiliation with ISIL in February 2014 . Syrian Liberation Front and Tahrir al - Sham's predecessor, the Al - Nusra Front, were allied under the Army of Conquest from March 2015 to January 2017 . </P> Number includes Kurdish and ISIL fighters, whose deaths are also listed in their separate columns . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th_colspan="4"> Syrian Civil War </Th> </Tr>

When did the current war in syria start