Governorates of Syria

A drone strike near Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIL) de facto Syrian capital Raqqa killed a jihadist commander heading to Aleppo province on orders from the organisation's chief, a monitoring group said on March 31.
 

Ankara is closely following reports of a planned operation by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northern Syrian town of Manbij, held by fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Turkish military officials have stated, expressing readiness to shell Syrian Kurdish forces in the event of a violation of "Turkey's red line."

Syria's antiquities chief said on March 28 that his department would need five years to restore the ancient ruins of Palmyra damaged by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), while Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes battled ISIL around Palmyra, trying to extend their gains.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) suffered a double setback in Syria on March 25 as army troops recaptured the ancient citadel in Palmyra and the Pentagon said the jihadists' second-in-command was killed in a U.S. raid.

Syrian troops backed by Russian warplanes on March 24 advanced into the ancient city of Palmyra, which has been under jihadist control for nearly a year, a monitor and a military source said.

Syrian state television said government forces fought their way into Palmyra on March 24 as the army backed by Russian air cover sought to recapture the historic city from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

President Barack Obama's special envoy to the global counter-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) coalition stressed Turkey's important role in the fight against ISIL, stating it was impossible for the United States to "succeed without Turkey," during a White House press briefing on Feb. 23.

U.N. convoys delivering aid to thousands of besieged Syrians were due to set out on Feb. 17, after  Syria's government approved access to seven besieged areas, including the city of Madaya, U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura's office said on Feb. 16 in Damascus following a meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.

Turkey wants the establishment of a secure humanitarian aid strip 10 kilometers deep into the Syrian side of its border, including the town of Azaz, in order to prevent "attempts to change the demographic structure" of the area, Deputy Prime Minister Yalç?n Akdo?an stated on Feb. 17. 

The Syrian unrest will reach its sixth year in mid-March with no sound projection how long it will last and how many more civilians will be killed or will be forced to leave their homes.