Timeline of the Syrian Civil War (January–April 2020)

The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war from January to June 2020. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

Main article: Timeline of the Syrian Civil War

January 2020

Idlib

The Syrian government continued to launch major attacks on rebel groups in Northwestern Syria ("Greater Idlib"), with Russian air support. Continued operations have caused over 200,000 refugees to flee the area, with many fleeing to Turkey.[1][2]

Ceasefire and new offensive

On 11 January, Russia announced that a ceasefire had been agreed to in the area of Idlib and Northwest Syria, between Russia, Syria, Syrian rebels and Turkey. This was due to requests by Turkey for a ceasefire, in order to stop the flow of Syrian refugees into Turkey.[3][4] However, some regional news outlets reported that Syria launched further attacks near Idlib, in Ma'arrat al-Nu'man District and the villages of Maar Shoreen, Talmenes, and Maar Shamshah, even after the ceasefire had officially begun.[5]

On 21 January, Russian warplanes targeted a farm on the outskirts of the Kafar Taal village, in western Aleppo province, killing nine civilians, among them six children, and also targeted areas in the southern and south-eastern countryside of Idlib, inflicting damage to property.[6]

On 28 January, the Syrian Arab Army captured the strategic city of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man. A war monitor and government media added that the Syrian army went into the city under the protection of heavy air strikes.[7][8]

Northeastern Syria

On 18 January, 2020, U.S. troops blocked a Russian convoy from entering Rmelan, where the U.S. is protecting oil fields under SDF administration. Tension occurred between the two groups as U.S. soldiers asked the Russian soldiers to return to the Amuda district in northwest of Al-Hasakah Governorate.[9]

Diplomatic developments

UN Dispute

The UN Security Council is currently having a major dispute over the re-authorization for border-crossing points into Syria to deliver aid. The existing authorization expired on January 10, 2020.[10] In December 2019, China and Russia vetoed the current proposal to renew all four existing crossing points, which are located in Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey; they wish to eliminate all crossing points except the ones in Turkey.[11] By January 2020, the dispute was ongoing.[10]

February 2020

On 1 February, four officers from the K and S units of Russia's Federal Security Service were reported killed near Aleppo.[12][13]

Al-Tanf

Around February 16, 2020, an Iranian-backed proxy group reportedly approached Al-Tanf, and were then repelled by the U.S.-partnered Maghaweir al-Thowra.[14]

Idlib and Aleppo
The Syrian army's Idlib and Aleppo offensive, which began in December 2019

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, by 6 February, the Syrian Army had captured 139 (including areas captured last year)[15] towns, villages and hilltops, including the strategic city of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, towns and villages of Al-Tah, Jarjnaz, Tell Mannas, Kafr Rumah, Khan al-Sabil, Hish, Sarmin and Afs and Turkish observation posts at Sarman, Maar Hattat, Tell Touqan, Rashidin in Western Aleppo and 4 posts inside the encircled Saraqib pocket.[16] Humanitarian organizations called for a ceasefire in Idlib after 520,000 people had been displaced from their homes.[17]

On 10 February, pro-Syrian government militias including Shabiha were filmed desecrating the graves and exhuming the bodies of opposition fighters and those affiliated with them, in a series of clips circulated on social media during the two days prior, in southern Idlib province, and holding skulls of opposition fighters and civilians and mocking them.[18]

By 18 February, pro-government sources said that the Syrian Arab Army and its allies had captured 2,052 square kilometers of territory and more than 200 towns, villages and hilltops.[19] The same day the UN human rights chief expressed her pressing concerns over the increase in fighting in northwest Syria and has also blamed the Syrian government and Russia for intentionally causing harm to civilians.[20]

On 20 February, Turkish-backed rebels launched another counteroffensive on Nayrab with Turkish artillery support.[21][22] Turkish commandos were also reported to have been operating alongside rebels in the assault on the town.[23] A Russian UAV was reported to have been shot down during the initial shelling and rocket strikes.[24] Russian planes provided air support to the pro-government forces and struck positions of the advancing rebels.[25] Additional shelling on nearby towns on both the government-controlled and opposition-controlled sides of the frontline were reported, with both Russian and Turkish forces involved in air and artillery support roles respectively.[26] During the battle, rebels reportedly attempted to shoot down a Russian Su-24 using Turkish-provided MANPADS.[27][28]

After heavy fighting,[26] the rebels managed to take full control of the town. However, Russian air support allowed the pro-government forces to eventually repel the rebel assault and recapture Nayrab.[29][30] Russia contacted Turkish forces and told them to end artillery support to the rebels, which they did, according to Russia.[31] The Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed that two Turkish soldiers had been killed and five wounded due to an airstrike during the assault,[32] while also claiming the Turkish-backed rebels killed 50 Syrian government forces during the battle.[33] The Russian Ministry of Defence said Russian forces destroyed one tank, six armored vehicles, and five other vehicles all belonging to the rebels.[34] As well as the two confirmed Turkish deaths,[35] the SOHR said that about 28 rebels and 14 pro-government soldiers were killed and that some Syrian soldiers were beheaded by jihadist fighters.[36]

See also: 2020 Balyun airstrikes

On 27 February 2020, during the Syrian Army offensive on Idlib an airstrike against a Turkish Army convoy in Balyun, Idlib resulted in the deaths of at least 34 Turkish soldiers according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, while other sources close to Turkey gave tolls of 50–70 dead Turkish soldiers, [37][38] making it the single deadliest attack on Turkish forces since its involvement in the war.[39][40] Between 36 and 60 soldiers were also wounded.[41][42] At around 11 a.m. on 27 February 2020, two Russian Sukhoi Su-34 and two Syrian Su-22 fighter jets started intensive bombing raids of Turkish-backed rebel forces in the southern countryside of Syria's Idlib province. According to Russian sources, after 1 p.m., Turkish troops conducted more than 15 MANPADS attacks against the Russian and Syrian jets, with some Russian aircraft allegedly suffering damage while evading the fire.[42]

At around 5 p.m., a 400-man Turkish mechanized infantry battalion traveling in a convoy was targeted by an airstrike on the road between al-Bara and Balyun, around five kilometers north of Kafr Nabl. A light airstrike by a Su-22s halted the convoy, after which more intense bombing forced the Turkish soldiers to take shelter in the nearby buildings. The Russian jets then reportedly dropped KAB-1500L laser-guided bombs on the Turkish positions, collapsing two buildings and leaving a number of soldiers under the rubble. Russia denied it carried out airstrikes in the area and stated it made attempts to ensure the Syrian military ceased firing to allow the evacuation of the Turkish troops, but noted the Turkish forces should not have been in the area, where "counter-terror operations" were taking place, and that Turkey failed to notify it about the soldiers' presence in advance.[42]

On 28 February, the Defense Ministry of Turkey stated that a day after 33 of their soldiers were killed in the air strike, artillery fire was launched by Syrian forces in northwest Idlib province of Syria, which led to the killing of one Turkish soldier and two others injured. The Turkish military also continued to attack Syrian Government targets in the region as well, according to the defense ministry. [43][44] Turkey said it retaliated for Balyun strikes by striking 200 Syrian government targets and 309 soldiers.[45] NATO and the US expressed support for Turkey and urged Russia to engage with UN ceasefire efforts, while the UN expressed concern at developments.[45][46]

Northeastern Syria

On 12 February, government supporters blocked and pelted a US military convoy passing through Qamishli town in northeastern Syria, which led to a clash with US troops, killing one civilian and injuring another. There is no certainty as to whether the civilian that got killed was armed or not, a monitoring group stated.[47][48] Local sources and US officials said that pro-Syrian militia fighters were also part of the stand off.[49] According to the coalition spokesman Col. Myles Caggins, the coalition troops were compelled to exchange fire in an act of self-defense and that the incident is under investigation. [50]

On 16 February, at least 55 vehicles of the US military convoy had been spotted entering Al-Hasakah province in northeastern Syria from Iraq, according to pro-Damascus sources.[51]

March 2020

After the attack in northwest Idlib three days ago, which caused the death of dozens of Turkish soldiers, Turkey declared on 1 March, that it was starting a major counteroffensive against Bashar al-Assad’s government.[52] The announcement was made by Turkey’s defense minister Hulusi Akar, after which he described the decision as an attempt to prevent the Syrian government from launching dangerous attacks against Syrians, as well as to ensure the establishment of an extensive ceasefire in the region.[53] Two Syrian fighter jets were reported to have been shot down in Idlib province by a Turkish F-16, as the offensive against Syrian forces intensifies. The pilots managed to eject from the jets and land safely at the clash site between Syrian forces and Turkish troops in Idlib province, the BBC added.[54][55] Also, the Syrian media confirmed that there were no casualties in the northwestern Idlib attack.[56] The defense minister of Turkey maintained that in addition to the shooting down of the two Syrian military aircraft in the offensive known as Operation Spring Shield, he disclosed that Turkey had killed over 2,000 Syrian government troops.[57]

On 1 March, the 2020 Daraa clashes began.

On 5 March, a meeting was held between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after which both parties agreed to a military ceasefire in Idlib province of northwestern Syria. The meeting between the Turkish and Russian president which was held in Moscow, reportedly lasted for about six hours, according to CNN.[58][59] According to the announcement by both President Putin and Erdogan, the ceasefire was scheduled to commence on Thursday evening at midnight, with the expectation that it would halt the violence in the area.[60] In accordance with the ceasefire agreement, joint patrols and a security corridor were established along the vital M4 highway.[61]

In order to fight the coronavirus outbreak, the UN special envoy for Syria on 24 March, urged for an instant ceasefire throughout the entire country which has been ravaged by war for the past decade. The International Committee of the Red Cross also called for a ceasefire, as they cannot simultaneously deal with the virus outbreak and cater for the displaced people of Syria, the ICRC regional director added.[62][63]

On 31 March, the Shayrat Airbase in Syria came under an Israeli missile attack, during a meeting between high ranking officers of Syria and Iran. No casualties were reported in the attack, as the Syrian air defenses were able to successfully intercept the Israeli missiles.[64][65][66] According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) based in the UK, eight missiles were believed to have been fired by the Israeli warplanes at the Al-Shayrat air base.[67]

April 2020

On 1 April, as the Syrian war enters its tenth year, the death toll recorded in March is reportedly the lowest, as there is a fall in the number of civilian casualties, according to the Observatory human rights group in Syria. A total of 103 civilians were said to have been killed, with 51 of them dying as a result of air strikes and shellings.[68][69] The rights group added that the civilian death toll is less than half of the deaths recorded in February which was placed at 275, when a major government offensive in Syria’s last opposition stronghold was still active.[70]

On 13 April, Turkish riot police dispersed dozens of Syrians participating in a sit-in on the M4 highway in the northwest linking the key cities of Saraqeb and Latakia; the incident showed a growing dissatisfaction toward the joint Russian-Turkish military presence in the area.[71] In another story, the local sources including one from Quneitra confirmed to Arabi21 that Russia was exploiting the poverty under which people were living in Syria to recruit young people - with wages and the promise to settle the security situation - to fight in Libya alongside the forces of General Khalifa Haftar against the internationally recognized-Government of National Accord.[72]

On 27 April, the SNHR reported that the Syrian government continued to commit multiple human rights violations in March and April, the same months seeing the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 44 civilians including six children killed, and its forces arrested 156 people, and committed at least four attacks on vital civilian facilities, including two schools.[73] The Syrian military blamed Israel for launching a missile attack on a military airfield close to Damascus.[74] As a result of the attack, at least three civilian casualties were reported, leaving four more wounded, according to Al Jazeera.[75] However, SANA added that the Syrian military was able to intercept the missiles, which they believe were fired from Lebanese airspace.[76]

On 28 April, a bombing in Afrin killed 40 people, including 11 children. No group claimed responsibility. Turkey blamed the YPG for the attack. According to the head of the British-based Observatory for human rights in Syria, at least six pro-Turkish Syrian fighters were among those killed in the blast with a possibility of increase in the death toll.[77][78] At least 47 people were reported injured, according to Al Jazeera.[79] According to the governor of the neighbouring Hatay province, across the Turkish border, the explosion was believed to have been caused by the rigging of a fuel tanker with hand grenades.[80] Many people, alongside those who got trapped in their cars were burnt to death as a result of the blast, Syrian activists disclosed.[81]

In April 2020, it was reported that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed had been attempting to persuade the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to break a ceasefire with Turkish-backed rebels in Idlib province. Mohammed bin Zayed offered Assad $3 billion in cash to push the offensive.[82][83]

See also

References
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