Multiple forces embroiled in Syria's war

Syria's war has become increasingly complex since it started in March 2011 with anti-government protests, with a mix of internal and external players pushing their own agendas.

A partial ceasefire between regime forces and non-jihadist rebel fighters is due to take effect at midnight Friday (2200 GMT) local time.

It does not include the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front.

The main obstacle to its implementation is Al-Nusra's presence in nearly all rebel-held areas where its jihadist fighters are allied with the rebels, making it unclear where the ceasefire should be applied.

- Regime and allies -

- The Syrian army's 300,000-strong pre-war force has been halved by deaths, defections and draft-dodging.

It now controls about a third of Syrian territory, with the rest divided among IS jihadists, Al-Nusra, other rebels and Kurdish forces.

But the regime still controls strategic areas where 60 percent of the country's remaining population live, including most of Damascus, Hama and Homs provinces in central Syria, the Mediterranean coast and parts of Aleppo province in the north.

Since September, loyalist fighters backed by Russian air strikes have made territorial gains including in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia in the west and Daraa in the south.

- Some 150,000 to 200,000 men serve in pro-regime militias, primarily the 90,000-strong National Defence Forces, set up in 2012.

A number of militias from Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan have also bolstered the regime's beleaguered forces. Experts say Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah has deployed between 5,000 and 8,000 fighters in Syria.

- Russia, a decades-long backer of Syria's regime, launched air strikes in Syria on September 30, allowing the Damascus regime to regain territory lost more than three years ago.

- Iran has remained a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, sending at least 7,000 Revolutionary Guard forces, as well as military advisers and financial aid.

- Rebels -

Syria's Free Syrian Army coalition has slowly been replaced by a myriad of mostly Islamist factions.

The rebels remain in several areas across Syria, mainly around Damascus, in the country's south, in parts of Aleppo province and in the east of Aleppo city.
They control around 20 percent of Syria if areas where they are allied with Al-Nusra are included, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor.

- Ahrar al-Sham is among the most powerful Islamist rebel groups in Syria. Founded in 2011 and financed by Turkey and Gulf states, according to experts, it is present mostly in the northern Idlib and Aleppo provinces.

- Jaish al-Islam is the most important rebel group in Damascus province, including in the Eastern Ghouta region, east of the capital.

- The Southern Front is a coalition of rebel groups that have recaptured territory in Daraa province.

- Al-Qaeda -

Al-Nusra the most important jihadist group in the country after its rival, the Islamic State group.

It is essentially made up of Syrian jihadists and aspires to create an Islamic emirate.

Led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, it has forged alliances with other rebel groups in Idlib and Aleppo.

It is also present in Damascus province's Eastern Ghouta, as well as in Daraa, Homs and Hama provinces, where it is outnumbered by other rebel forces.

Al-Nusra is listed by Washington as a terrorist group.

Together, Al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham lead a key rebel alliance called the Army of Conquest which since it was founded in 2015 has driven the regime out of Idlib province.

- Islamic State group -

The Islamic State group is the most well-organised, resources-rich and brutally violent non-regime force in Syria.

Since 2013, it has seized large parts of Syria's territory, and it announced a self-styled "caliphate" across Syria and Iraq in 2014.
Tens of thousands of foreign fighters have joined its ranks.

Headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, IS militants are fighting on several fronts: against the regime, Al-Nusra, rebels and Kurdish groups.

It has suffered a series of setbacks in Syria since 2015, losing Kobane and Tal Abyad on the Turkish border.

It now controls less than 40 percent of Syria, including Deir Ezzor and most of the border with Iraq in the east, Raqa and part of Aleppo province in the north and Palmyra in the centre.

- Kurds -

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) have controlled parts of Syria's north and northeast since the regime unilaterally withdrew from the region in 2012.

The YPG has scored major victories against IS in Kobane, Tal Abyad and Hasakeh province with aerial support from the US-led coalition fighting the jihadists.

They control more than 10 percent of Syrian territory and three-quarters of the border with Turkey.

- Turkey -

Since mid-February, Turkey has repeatedly shelled Kurdish fighters in Syria. Ankara contends the YPG is a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

- US-led coalition -

Since 2014, the United States and Arab nations in the US-led coalition have been carrying out air strikes against IS targets in Syria. The coalition includes Britain, France and Turkey.
Source :AFP