syria civil war fast facts - cnn

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(CNN) -- Here is some background about the on-going civil war inSyria. Since the war began in 2011, more than 100,000 Syrians havebeen killed, according to the United Nations.

Facts:Bashar al-Assad has ruled Syria as president since July 2000. Hisfather, Hafez al-Assad, ruled Syria from 1970-2000.

The ongoing violence against civilians has been condemned by theArab League, the European Union, the United States, and othercountries.

Timeline:March 2011 - Violence flares in Daraa after a group of teens andchildren are arrested for writing political graffiti. Dozens of people arekilled when security forces crack down on demonstrations.

March 24, 2011 - In response to continuing protests, the Syriangovernment announces several plans to appease citizens. Stateemployees will receive an immediate salary increase. Thegovernment also plans to study lifting Syria's long standingemergency law and the licensing of new political parties.

March 30, 2011 - President al-Assad addresses the nation in a45-minute televised speech. He acknowledges that the governmenthas not met the people's needs but he does not offer any concretechanges. The state of emergency remains in effect.

April 21, 2011 - Al-Assad lifts the country's 48-year-old state ofemergency. He also abolishes the Higher State Security Court andissues a decree "regulating the right to peaceful protest, as one ofthe basic human rights guaranteed by the Syrian Constitution."

May 18, 2011 - The U.S. imposes sanctions against Syrian President

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Syria Civil War Fast FactsBy CNN LibraryJanuary 29, 2014 -- Updated 1236 GMT (2036 HKT)

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Syria Civil War Fast Facts - CNN.com http://edition.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/meast/syria-civil-war-fast-facts/

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Bashar al-Assad and six other senior Syrian officials. The TreasuryDepartment details the sanctions by saying, "As a result of thisaction, any property in the United States or in the possession orcontrol of U.S. persons in which the individuals listed in the Annexhave an interest is blocked, and U.S. persons are generallyprohibited from engaging in transactions with them."

August 18, 2011 - The U.S. imposes new economic sanctions onSyria, freezing Syrian government assets in the U.S., barringAmericans from making new investments in the country andprohibiting any U.S. transactions relating to Syrian petroleumproducts, among other things.

September 2, 2011 - The European Union bans the import of Syrianoil.

September 23, 2011 - The European Union imposes additionalsanctions against Syria, due to "the continuing brutal campaign" bythe government against its own people.

October 2, 2011 - A new alignment of Syrian opposition groupsestablishes the Syrian National Council, a framework through whichto end President al-Assad's government and establish a democraticsystem.

October 4, 2011 - Russia and China veto a U.N. Security Councilresolution that would call for an immediate halt to the crackdown inSyria against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. Nine of the15-member council countries, including the United States, voted infavor of adopting the resolution.

November 12, 2011 - The Arab League suspends Syria'smembership, effective November 16, 2011.

November 27, 2011 - Foreign ministers from 19 Arab Leaguecountries vote to impose economic sanctions against the Syrianregime for its part in a bloody crackdown on civilian demonstrators.

November 30, 2011 - Turkey announces a series of measures,including financial sanctions, against Syria.

December 19, 2011 - Syria signs an Arab League proposal aimed atending violence between government forces and protesters.

January 28, 2012 - The Arab League suspends its mission in Syriaas violence there continues.

February 2, 2012 - A U.N. Security Council meeting ends with noagreement on a draft resolution intended to pressure Syria to end itsmonths-long crackdown on anti-government demonstrators.

February 4, 2012 - A U.N. Security Council resolution condemningaction against Syria is not adopted after Russia and China voteagainst it.

February 6, 2012 - The U.S. closes its embassy in Damascus andrecalls its diplomats.

February 7, 2012 - The Gulf Cooperation Council announces itsmember states are pulling their ambassadors from Damascus andexpelling the Syrian ambassadors in their countries.

February 16, 2012 - The United Nations General Assembly passes anonbinding resolution endorsing the Arab League plan for Syrianpresident Bashar al-Assad to step down. The vote was 137 in favorand 12 against, with 17 abstentions.

February 26, 2012 - Syrians vote on the constitutional referendum inpolling centers across the country. Almost 90% of voters approve thechanges to the constitution.

March 13, 2012 - Kofi Annan, the U.N. special envoy to Syria, meetsin Turkey with government officials and Syrian opposition members.He visits Syria over the weekend where he calls for a cease-fire, therelease of detainees and allowing unfettered access to relief

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agencies to deliver much needed aid.

March 15, 2012 - The Gulf Cooperation Council announces that thesix member countries will close their Syrian embassies and calls onthe international community "to stop what is going on in Syria." Thecouncil members include the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, SaudiArabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.

March 21, 2012 - After a year of fighting, the U.N. believes morethan 8,000 people have died. Opposition activists claim the numberto be higher than 10,000 and most of the dead are civilians.

March 27, 2012 - The Syrian government accepts U.N. envoy KofiAnnan's plan to end violence. The proposal seeks to stop theviolence, give access to humanitarian agencies, release detainees,and start a political dialogue to address the concerns of the Syrianpeople.

April 1, 2012 - At a conference in Istanbul, Turkey, the internationalgroup Friends of the Syrian People formally recognizes the SyrianNational Council as a legitimate representative of the Syrian people.

June 10, 2012 - Abdul Basit Sieda, a Syrian native now living inSweden, is now Syria's National Council leader.

June 13, 2012 - The U.N. Security Council has authorized up to 300unarmed military observers for a 90-day mission in Syria. Themonitors are tasked with observing a cease-fire that was supposed togo into effect April 12, though both the Syrian regime and oppositionhave reported at least hundreds of killings since then. In addition,observers are tasked with supporting the implementation of Annan'speace plan, which also calls for access for humanitarian groups, therelease of arbitrarily arrested detainees and the start of a politicaldialogue.

June 16, 2012 - The U.N. suspends its monitoring mission due tointensifying violence.

July 23, 2012 - The Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman, JihadMakdissi, threatens to use chemical and biological weapons againstoutside forces, "No chemical or biological weapons will ever be used,... unless Syria is exposed to external aggression."

July 30, 2012 - The Syrian Charge d'Affaires in London, Khaledal-Ayoubi, resigns stating he is "no longer willing to represent aregime that has committed such violent and oppressive acts againstits own people."

August 2, 2012 - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announcesthat Special Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan will not renew his mandatewhen it expires at the end of August.

August 6, 2012 - Syrian Prime Minister Riyad al-Hijab's resignationfrom office and defection from Assad's regime is read on Al Jazeeraby his spokesman Muhammad el-Etri. Hijab and his family are said tohave left Syria overnight arriving in Jordan. Hijab is the highest-profile official to defect.

August 9, 2012 - Syrian television reports that President al-Assadhas appointed Health Minister Wael al-Halki as the new primeminister.

October 3, 2012 - Five people are killed by Syrian shelling in theTurkish border town of Akcakale. In response, Turkey fires on Syriantargets and its parliament authorizes a resolution giving thegovernment permission to deploy its soldiers to foreign countries.

November 11, 2012 - Israel fires warning shots toward Syria after amortar shell hits an Israeli military post. It is the first time Israel hasfired on Syria across the Golan Heights since the 1973 Yom KippurWar.

November 11, 2012 - Syrian opposition factions formally agree tounite as the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary andOpposition Forces.


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November 13, 2012 - Sheikh Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib is electedleader of the Syrian opposition collective, the National Coalition forSyrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces.

January 6, 2013 - Assad announces he will not step down and thathis vision of Syria's future includes a new constitution and an end tosupport for the opposition, which he calls terrorists. The oppositionrefuses to work with Assad's government.

February 12, 2013 - The U.N. Security Council estimates that thenumber of civilians killed in the two-year civil war in Syria isapproaching 70,000.

March 19, 2013 - The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionaryand Opposition Forces elects American-educated Ghassan Hitto asits prime minister. Though born in Damascus, Hitto has spent muchof his life in the United States, and holds dual U.S. and Syriancitizenship.

April 25, 2013 - Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announces theUnited States has evidence that the chemical weapon sarin has beenused in Syria on a small scale.

May 6 - A U.S. official tells CNN that Israeli forces conducted anairstrike in Syria on May 5, as well as one the previous week.Sunday's strike targeted a research facility in a mountainous areanear Damascus and weapons that were to be transferred toHezbollah, and the earlier strike targeted Fateh 110 missiles stored atthe Damascus airport.

May 17, 2013 - The U.N.'s refugee agency reports that over 1.5million Syrians have left their country to escape the war.

May 27, 2013 - European Union nations end the arms embargoagainst the Syrian rebels.

May 27, 2013 - U.S. Senator John McCain visits rebels in Syria. It isreported that he is the highest ranking U.S. official to visit since thebeginning of the war.

June 13, 2013 - The Obama Administration says that Syria hascrossed a 'red line' with its use of chemical weapons, including thenerve agent sarin gas, against rebels and indicates that it will bestepping up its support of the rebels, who have been calling for theUnited States and others to provide arms need to battle al-Assad'sforces.

July 6, 2013 - Ahmad Assi Jarba is elected the new leader of theSyrian National Coalition.

August 1, 2013 - U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky tells reporters thata team of ten experts has been assembled to travel to Syria toinvestigate three reports of chemical weapons use.

August 2, 2013 - The U.N. calls for an investigation into an incidentin July in Khan al-Assal in northern Syria. Videos on the internetpurport to show Syrian rebels executing as many as 30 people, mostof them government soldiers.

August 18, 2013 - A team of U.N. weapons inspectors arrives inSyria to begin an investigation into whether chemical weapons havebeen used during the civil war.

August 22, 2013 - The United Nations and the United States call foran immediate investigation of Syrian activists' claims that the Basharal-Assad government used chemical weapons in an attack oncivilians on August 21. Anti-regime activist groups in Syria say morethan 1,300 people were killed in the attack outside Damascus, manyof them women and children. Video footage and witness reportsappeared to bolster claims that chemical weapons were used.

August 23, 2013 - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says theuse of chemical weapons in Syria is a crime against humanity andmust be punished.

August 24, 2013 - Medical charity Doctors Without Borders


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announces that three hospitals near Damascus treated more that3,000 patients suffering "neurotoxic symptoms" on August 21.Reportedly, 355 of the patients died.

August 26, 2013 - U.N. inspectors reach the site of a reportedchemical attack in Moadamiyet al-Sham, near Damascus. En route tothe site, the team's convoy is hit by sniper fire. No one is injured.

August 26, 2013 - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry describes thesuspected chemical weapons attack "inexcusable" and says,"President Obama believes there must be accountability for thosewho would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world'smost vulnerable people."

August 27, 2013 - U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel says thatif the President Obama orders a strike on Syria, U.S. defense forcesare "ready to go."

August 29, 2013 - The U.K.'s Parliament votes against any militaryaction in Syria.

August 30, 2013 - U.S Secretary of State John Kerry says that U.S.intelligence information has found that 1,429 people were killed inlast week's chemical weapons attack in Syria, including at least 426children.

August 31, 2013 - U.S. President Barack Obama gives a speechasking Congress to authorize military action against Syria.

September 9, 2013 - Syria agrees to a Russian proposal to give upcontrol of its chemical weapons.

September 10, 2013 - In a speech before the U.S. public, PresidentObama says he will not, "put American boots on the ground in Syria"but does not rule out other military options.

September 14, 2013 - The U.S. and Russia agree to a plan toeliminate chemical weapons in Syria.

September 16, 2013 - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonreleases the report from chemical weapons inspectors whoinvestigated the August 21 event. The inspectors say there is "clearand convincing evidence" that sarin was used.

September 20, 2013 - Syria releases an initial report on its chemicalweapons program.

September 27, 2013 - The U.N. Security Council passes a resolutionrequiring Syria to eliminate its arsenal of chemical weapons.President al-Assad says he will abide by the resolution.

September 30, 2013 - At the U.N. General Assembly in New York,Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem says that Syria is notengaged in a civil war, but a war on terror.

October 6, 2013 - Syria begins dismantling chemical weaponsprogram, including the destruction of missile warheads and aerialbombs.

October 31, 2013 - The Organisation for the Prohibition of ChemicalWeapons announces that Syria has destroyed all its declaredchemical weapons mixing, filling and production facilities.

November 25, 2013 - The U.N. announces that starting January 22in Geneva, Switzerland, the Syrian government and an unknownnumber of opposition groups will meet at a "Geneva II" conferencemeant to broker an end to the Syrian civil war.

December 2, 2013 - U.N. human right chief Navi Pillay says that aU.N. fact-finding team has found "massive evidence" that the highestlevels of the Syrian government are responsible for war crimes.

January 20, 2014 - The Syria National Coalition announces it won'tparticipate in the Geneva II talks unless the United Nations rescindsits surprise invitation to Iran or Iran agrees to certain conditions. The


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U.N. later rescinds Iran's invitation.

January 22, 2014 - In his opening statement at the Geneva II talks,U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says there is "no way" that SyrianPresident Bashar al-Assad will be part of a transitional government inthe war-ravaged country.

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syria civil war fast facts - cnn

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