This article only covers Syrian’s Civil War major battle events in 2017, not included small skirmishes or small battles that do not hold significant or strategical importance.

The first and second part report major events and their changes in 2017, the third part is a summary that reflect some similarities between the real life conflict and the show. This work is not written by a Syrian Civil War expert.

War zone: Prior 2017

Wikipedia: Syrian Civil War Map January

In the west of Syria, where prosperous cities like Hama, Homs, Latakia, Tartus are controlling by the Syrian government.

FSA & Islamists allies

In the northwest, The Free Syrian Army (FSA) and its Islamists allies were just strategically lost the The Battle of Aleppo, which also known as “The Mother of All Battles”. A turning point which ended the hope of the rebel’s conquests for Aleppo Governorate.

Idlib Governorate, bordering Turkey, is a stronghold for rebels. Various of rebel factions and Islamists are controlling the area. The two strongest rebel groups in the governorate are Islamists group Ahrar al-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (Formerly known as Al Nusra and Al Qaeda in Syria). The two factions’ relationship are becoming strained recently due internal conflict. One example is Jabhat Fatah al-Sham sometimes protecting Jund al-Aqsa(Friends of ISIS), who were constantly causing trouble in the area. Besides, assassination and backstabbing are heavily spreading in this area due to ideology/political differences. The smaller rebel factions will have to take side soon.

Wikipedia: Damascus

Southwestern side, the capital of Syria, Damascus is largely controlling by the Syrian government with some rebels controlling the besieged eastern Ghouta suburb. Islamic State group(ISIS) controlling the Palestine’s refugee camp, Yarmouk Camp, which located within south of Damascus city. The Southern Front who are part of the FSA faction are still quietly healing themselves after their heavy defeats of many battles in Daraa Governorate.

USA-backed FSA

At south border, USA-backed FSA’s Revolutionary Commando Army also known as Ghosts of the Desert, controlling the border city Al-Tanf which is one of the border crossing to Iraq. This small group only consists of a few hundreds personnel and mainly targeting ISIS forces.

In the north, sharing the border with Turkey’s soil stands firmly the Kurdish land, the Rojava. A secular autonomous region consists of three major cantons which are Afrin Canton, Jazira Canton, and Kobani Canton.

YPG and allies

The Syrian Democratic Forces(SDF) are controlling these lands. They’re mostly joined by People’s Protection Unit(YPG) who are the armed militias in Rojava sworn to protect the Kurdish land from any invaders. There are some Arab tribes such as Al-Shaitat tribe, Shammar tribe, Al-Baggara tribes and other tribes joined the SDF ranks too. Their relationship with the rebels and the Syrian government is pretty much tentative.

Turkey-backed FSA

The Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA) located beside Afrin Canton are vowed to fight ISIS and YPG, one of their mission is to prevent the linking of the cantons and expel YPG and ISIS’s influences in their area.

In the east, an ambitious and extremely motivated force swiped a vast landlocked of eastern territory in such swift pace that no one is quick enough to response to its blitzkrieg expedition.

ISIS

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is expanding their self-proclaimed Caliphate throughout Syria and Iraq and vow to cleanse the world from the infidels. Their brutal, rapid and fearless tactics not only scared those who stands in their way effectively but also terrorising the global with their notorious use of extreme violence such as suicide bombings, produce propaganda snuff films, ethnic cleanse and many unforgivable war crimes. Their “capital” Raqqa is located in northeast bank of the Euphrates River, is on the verge of war. After the Kurdish forces from northeastern cantons were united with the help of USA and Russia, the SDF are advancing towards the “capital” of ISIS steadily. The city is now laying with full of ISIS’s defences, booby-traps, tunnels, camouflage vantage point for snipers, masked militants are loading deadly IEDs into their vehicles which will later situated in house garages and corners, waiting to unleash a hellish mission like their brothers in Mosul.

The largest city in the east, Deir ez-Zor, trapped within the city are Assad’s forces, who are surrounded and besieged by blood lusted ISIS forces. The trapped Syrian army impressively withstand all the ISIS attacks thanks to their charismatic leader, Major General of the Syrian Republican Guard Issam Zahreddine, who constantly motivating and boosting his troops’ morale. Sometimes, people describe Deir ez-Zor as ISIS meat-grinder.

General Issam giving speech

In the central Syria, the strategically ancient Roman city of Palmyra was exchanged a few times between Syrian army and ISIS.

Palmyra ancient infrastructure destroyed

But eventually falls under the control of the Syrian army. Which provides strategic point for the Syrian army to liberate their brothers in Deir ez-Zor.