The Battle for Palmyra: March 2016
March 25, 2016 - Chris Kozak
A new map from ISW showing the viewshed for Palmyra as of March 2016. Regime troops continue their attack and advance on the city and its environs.
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Publications
Syrian Armed Opposition Powerbrokers
March 17, 2016 - Genevieve Casagrande
International negotiations to reach a political settlement in Syria have resumed, although serious challenges remain to reaching a political settlement. The talks follow two weeks of a “cessation of hostilities” in which the Russian air campaign in Syria decreased notably, though it did not entirely cease. Putin announced that he would withdraw some airframes from Syria on March 15, incentivizing both Assad and the opposition to engage in Geneva.
Syrian Armed Opposition Powerbrokers
March 17, 2016 - Jennifer Cafarella
International negotiations to reach a political settlement in Syria have resumed, although serious challenges remain to reaching a political settlement. The talks follow two weeks of a “cessation of hostilities” in which the Russian air campaign in Syria decreased notably, though it did not entirely cease. Putin announced that he would withdraw some airframes from Syria on March 15, incentivizing both Assad and the opposition to engage in Geneva.
Russian Airstrikes in Syria: February 29 - March 15, 2016
March 17, 2016 - Genevieve Casagrande
Russia reportedly withdrew approximately fifteen of its airframes from the Bassel al Assad International Airport in Latakia Province from March 15 - 16, following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a drawdown on March 14.
Warning Update: Pro-Regime Forces Continue Encirclement of Aleppo Despite Truce
March 4, 2016 - Chris Kozak
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies in Moscow and Tehran are continuing to complete the encirclement of Aleppo City despite an ostensible ‘cessation of hostilities’ that began on February 27, 2016. Russia resumed its air campaign against the opposition on February 28 following a one day hiatus, concentrating its strikes against the opposition-held northwestern suburbs of Aleppo City.
Why the Most Dangerous Group in Syria Isn’t ISIS
February 26, 2016 - Jennifer Cafarella
(CNN) Hardly a day goes by without news of the progress being made in the war on ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In recent months, American-backed forces have secured much of the Syrian-Turkish border, recaptured Ramadi, and stemmed the flow of fighters and supplies to the terror group's capital cities of Raqqa and Mosul.
Syria 90-Day Forecast: The Assad Regime and Allies in Northern Syria
February 24, 2016 - Chris Kozak
The expanded interventions of Russia and Iran into the Syrian Civil War have shifted the trajectory of the conflict in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, granting him the strongest position on the battlefield as of February 24, 2016.
Syria 90-Day Forecast: The Assad Regime and Allies in Northern Syria
February 24, 2016 - Genevieve Casagrande
The expanded interventions of Russia and Iran into the Syrian Civil War have shifted the trajectory of the conflict in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, granting him the strongest position on the battlefield as of February 24, 2016. Regime forces bolstered by Iranian ground troops and Russian air support have achieved major gains against both the Syrian armed opposition and ISIS in Northern Syria since September 2015, marking a fundamental shift in battlefield momentum following a compounding series of regime losses in the first half of 2015.
Syria 90-Day Forecast: The Assad Regime and Allies in Northern Syria
February 24, 2016 - Jennifer Cafarella
The expanded interventions of Russia and Iran into the Syrian Civil War have shifted the trajectory of the conflict in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, granting him the strongest position on the battlefield as of February 24, 2016.
American security is at risk in Aleppo: Why Syria's second largest city matters to the US
February 23, 2016 - Jennifer Cafarella
The Syrian regime, with Russia’s help, is about to encircle and besiege hundreds of thousands of civilians in Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city. This will be a turning point for American national security, and not for the better.