United States intervention in Syria

The United States began helping in Syria's civil war in September 2014. The main goal was to fight a group called the Islamic State, which was causing a lot of trouble. The U.S. worked with friends from countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Canada to do this. They flew planes and gave support to local groups who were fighting against this group.

Before this, the U.S. had already placed sanctions on Syria and helped some rebel groups. In 2017, the U.S. attacked a Syrian airbase for the first time, which was a big moment in the war. Over the years, the number of U.S. troops in Syria went up and down. At one point, there were about 2,000 troops, but later this number went down.

In 2019, the Islamic State lost most of its land in Syria, and its leader was killed during a U.S. military operation. However, the situation in Syria stayed complicated, with different groups and countries involved. By April 2026, the U.S. finished taking its troops out of Syria after more than ten years of involvement.

Background

Further information: Middle Eastern foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration § Syria, Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, Arab Spring, and Arab Winter

Leaked documents suggested that the United States wanted big changes in Syria even before the civil war began. After protests started in Syria in 2011, the country fell into civil war. Groups formed to fight against the government, including one called the Free Syrian Army.

The United States helped some groups fighting in Syria. One secret program, called Timber Sycamore, gave training, money, and information to certain groups. Another program tried to train and equip fighters to battle a group called ISIL, but it didn’t work well.

Timber Sycamore and Syrian Train and Equip Program

Further information: Timber Sycamore, CIA activities in Syria, and Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war § United States

Under President Barack Obama, the Central Intelligence Agency led a big effort to support groups fighting against the Syrian government. This began in 2013. Before that, the CIA mostly gave non-lethal help like food and trucks. Later, they began giving training, money, and information to certain leaders of rebel groups.

In September 2014, the US House of Representatives approved $500 million to train and equip Syrian rebels to fight against ISIL.

July 2014 rescue mission

Main article: 2014 American rescue mission in Syria

In July 2014, the US tried to rescue foreign people who had been captured. US forces flew in to attack a base and search for prisoners, but didn’t find anyone. The mission didn’t succeed, and later it was reported that the hostages had been moved just before the rescue attempt.

Surveillance flights over Syria

On 26 August 2014, the US started flying over Syria to watch and gather information about ISIL targets. These flights helped plan future attacks, and they happened without asking the Syrian government for permission.

US-led coalition against ISIL

In June 2014, the government of Iraq asked the United States for help against a group called ISIL. The US then worked with many countries to form a team to fight this group.

Meetings were held in September and December 2014 with countries like the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Turkey, and Denmark. They agreed to help forces fighting ISIL in Iraq and Syria. The US president, Barack Obama, said they would work together to defeat ISIL.

The US began giving help to Kurdish fighters in Syria who were defending a town called Kobanî. They dropped supplies from planes because Turkey would not let them pass through its border. Later, the US also helped train some Syrian opposition groups, though this effort faced many challenges.

Multinational air war

Further information: Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against the Government of Syria to Respond to Use of Chemical Weapons

Contributing countries

USS Carl Vinson and support ships deployed for combat operations in Syria and Iraq, 2014

Australia (Operation Okra) – Airstrikes ended December 2017. Concluded December 2024.
Bahrain – Ended in 2016
Belgium – Ended in 2017
Canada (Operation Impact § In Syria) – Airstrikes ended February 2016
France (Opération Chammal)
Germany (Operation Counter Daesh) – Operations in Syria ended January 2022
Netherlands (Dutch military intervention against ISIL and Dutch involvement in the Syrian civil war) – Airstrikes in Syria began January 2016; anti-ISIL operations ended January 2019
Jordan (Jordanian intervention in the Syrian civil war) – Airstrikes partially ended in July 2018
Qatar (Qatari involvement in the Syrian civil war)
Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabian involvement in the Syrian civil war) – Involvement ended in 2018
Turkey (Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war and Turkey–Islamic State conflict)
United Arab Emirates – Involvement ended in 2018
United Kingdom (Operation Shader § Intervention in Syria)
United States (Leader) (Operation Inherent Resolve)

US airstrikes

In September 2014, the US President announced plans to attack targets of a militant group in Syria. He asked Congress to help train and support rebels fighting this group and the Syrian forces of Bashar al-Assad. For the first time, he approved direct attacks against the group in Syria. In his speech, he said the United States would launch "a steady, relentless effort to take out" the group "wherever they exist." He also announced the creation of a broader group of countries working together against this group.

After the speech, some leaders from other countries said the US should have asked for permission before acting. The US House of Representatives approved the plan to train and support Syrian rebels on September 17. The Senate approved it the next day.

The US did not ask the Syrian government for permission and did not tell them about specific targets, but did inform them about the overall plan. The US also told Iran, Syria's main ally, about their plans but did not share details.

Airstrikes on the Khorasan Group

F/A-18 Hornets take off from USS George H.W. Bush to strike ISIL targets in Syria, 2014

One group targeted by US airstrikes was the Khorasan Group, a group of suspected al-Qaeda members who were thought to be planning attacks against the US and other Western countries. The strikes hit training camps, places where they made explosives and weapons, communication centers, and command centers. The group was said to have skilled bomb makers and was led by Muhsin al-Fadhli, a leader of al-Qaeda.

Later reports suggested the threat from this group might not have been as serious as first thought. Some officials said there was no clear plan for an attack, and others said there was no sign of an immediate threat at the time the US began bombing.

On November 6, a second round of airstrikes hit Khorasan and another group in northwestern Syria. On November 13, the US launched more strikes against Khorasan. On November 19, another airstrike hit Khorasan near Hazm. On December 1, the US struck Khorasan again near Aleppo.

In March 2015, it was reported that US airstrikes had killed 17 militants from Khorasan. In July 2015, a strike near Sarmada in Idlib killed Muhsin al-Fadhli, the leader of Khorasan. In October 2015, another US strike killed a senior leader of Khorasan, Sanafi al-Nasr, in northwestern Syria. This was the fifth important member of the group killed by US strikes that year.

Ground operations

Initially, leaders including US President Obama said their ground forces would not be used against a group called ISIL unless they were local forces. In Iraq, thousands of troops from the US and other nations were there to help; in Syria, no ground troops were sent at first.

In November 2015, the Obama administration sent US special forces to Syria to help local fighters against ISIL. President Obama allowed several dozen Special Operations troops to go to northern Syria to assist fighters battling ISIL.

During May 2016, US Special Forces were seen with local fighters, and a commander visited several locations where US forces were helping train local groups. In September 2016, it was confirmed that these local forces would get weapons and support.

In March 2017, the Trump administration sent more troops to Syria to help in the fight against ISIL in a major city. This marked an increase in US involvement in the conflict.

On 19 December 2018, President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw all US troops from Syria. On 16 January 2019, a attack by a group claimed responsibility for killing four US personnel and injuring three servicemen, leading to criticism of the withdrawal plan. President Trump offered condolences and reaffirmed the decision to withdraw troops.

Following the collapse of an agreement and a subsequent offensive, US ground forces began withdrawing from many bases in north Syria around 6 October. During the withdrawal, US and local forces left some fortifications which were quickly occupied by Syrian government and Russian forces.

By 20 October 2019, the Trump administration confirmed a new mission to protect oil and gas fields in eastern Syria from attacks. US forces continued to reduce their presence in northern Syria but increased resources in the oil-rich Deir ez-Zor area.

Kurdish troops and US armored vehicle in Al-Hasakah, May 2017

On 28 January 2024, an attack drone struck a US outpost in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, killing three US soldiers and wounding dozens. The United States launched large-scale retaliatory airstrikes in early February 2024 against targets across Iraq and Syria.

A series of nationwide offensives by the Syrian opposition led to the collapse of the Syrian military and the overthrow of the government on 8 December 2024. American officials stated there was no US involvement. The US began evaluating its future role in Syria, focusing on countering a group called IS as its main activity.

On 11 February 2026, the US withdrew its troops from a strategic military base in southeastern Syria, relocating forces and equipment into Jordan. On 16 April 2026, US military forces completed their withdrawal from Syria, ending the intervention after troops first arrived in 2015 to fight against a group called the Islamic State.

Turkish involvement

Main articles: Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war and Turkey–Islamic State conflict

US and Turkish soldiers conduct joint patrols, Manbij outskirts, 1 November 2018

Turkey, a NATO member, has been part of the Syrian civil war since it began. Turkey helped train and supply some groups fighting in the war, including the Free Syrian Army and al-Qaeda in Syria. In October 2014, Turkey’s government allowed military action in nearby countries and let other countries use Turkish bases. Turkey also placed soldiers near the Syrian border town of Kobanî.

US and Turkish soldiers rendezvous in the Northern Syria Buffer Zone, 4 October 2019.

Later, Turkey sent soldiers to move a historic tomb from a nearby area. During this operation, one Turkish soldier was killed in an accident. In 2018, Turkey began actions against Syrian Kurdish groups, causing tension with the United States. Turkey and the US later agreed on a safety zone in northern Syria to help prevent fighting, but this agreement ended when Turkey moved troops into the area in 2019.

Northern Syria Buffer Zone

Main article: Northern Syria Buffer Zone

Reports of civilian casualties and war crimes

On 29 September 2014, several groups reported that US strikes hit a grain silo in the town of Manbij in northern Syria, killing two civilians. These groups also said that ten airstrikes in the province of Idlib killed at least one child and six other civilians. At that time, they reported that at least 19 civilians had been killed in coalition airstrikes.

The United States said it had no evidence of any civilian casualties from airstrikes targeting militants in Syria. Reports from groups like Airwars suggest that between 503 and 700 civilians were killed by Coalition airstrikes in Syria as of April 2016.

By January 2017, reports indicated that 6,909 people had been killed in coalition airstrikes in Syria since September 2014, including 820 civilians, among them 193 children and 117 women. In March 2017, a US-led coalition airstrike on a school near Raqqa killed at least 33 people.

Amnesty International reported that the US-led Coalition may have provided incorrect information to hide the true number of civilian deaths from their bombing campaigns. In 2018, the Coalition admitted that their air strikes killed 70 civilians, mostly women and children, including 39 members of one family.

By August 2023, Airwars estimated that 8,198–13,258 civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria were due to Coalition airstrikes, including many children and women. The Coalition’s own estimate of civilian deaths was 1,417.

On 22 February 2024, during live-fire weapons training near Al-Hasakah, US forces killed one child and wounded two others. The incident was reported by US and partner forces.

Results

The US-led air campaign caused big losses for the Islamic State. Along with help from special forces, artillery, and support for local groups, this led to the loss of most of the Islamic State’s land in Syria. By late 2015, planes were dropping about 67 bombs or missiles each day.

By May 2016, the Islamic State had lost 25% of the land it held in Syria, mostly because of advances by local forces with strong support from coalition planes. By the end of 2016, the campaign had struck around 32,000 targets and helped protect many people. By the end of 2018, with help from the coalition, more than 20,000 square kilometers of land and three million civilians were freed from the Islamic State.

By March 2019, nearly 110,000 square kilometers of land was freed from the Islamic State, helping 7.7 million people live without its control. The United Nations estimated in August 2020 that over 10,000 Islamic State fighters remained in Syria and Iraq.

Reactions

Domestic US approval

The United States began helping fight a group in Syria, and many Americans supported this at first. In 2014, a big study showed that 61% of people approved of the action, while 30% did not. By 2016, support grew to 72% for air attacks on certain groups. However, only 26% supported giving weapons to some rebel groups.

In 2019, after some US troops left northern Syria, 75% of Americans were worried about the situation there. Half thought the US should stay involved. Later, in 2025, a study showed that 61% of Americans supported bringing troops home from Syria.

Syrian reactions

Syria’s government first said any actions without their approval were attacks. Later, they seemed more open to the idea. Some Syrians supported the actions, especially in areas not controlled by the group being targeted, while others strongly opposed them, particularly in areas where the group was active.

International reactions

Many countries around the world had different views. Some, like Australia, supported the actions but didn’t send in forces. Others, like Canada, stopped their help later. Some countries, such as the Czech Republic, supported the fight but noted that air attacks alone wouldn’t solve the problem. Others, like Russia, strongly opposed the actions without approval from Syria’s government. Still, many nations, including France, Britain, and Germany, showed support in different ways. The United Nations asked all sides to follow rules to protect ordinary people.