Russia began an airstrike campaign in Syria on Wednesday, mainly hitting areas controlled by rebels who are fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Russia’s main ally in the Middle East. Russian and Syrian state television broadcasts initially said the attacks had been against Islamic State targets.Detailed data on who controls which areas of the country, collected by the Carter Center, showed that most of the areas hit by the airstrikes are controlled by rebel groups and that they are not in Islamic State territory. The Carter Center uses activists, contacts on the ground and videos shared on social media to determine how areas of control change daily.
Most of the Targets Have Been Far From ISIS Territory
Known Russian airstrikes on Oct. 1
On Sept. 30
Many of the Initial Airstrikes Were Near the
Boundaries Between Government and Rebel Zones
Russian airstrikes on Sept. 30
Control:
Government
Rebel
ISIS
Who Controls Which Areas in Syria
Four groups have claimed control over a divided Syria. Government forces hold the center of most of Syria’s largest cities, while various rebel forces are stronger in the north and northeast. The Islamic State continues to hold most of the corridor along the Euphrates River. Kurdish forces occupy northern Syria, along the country’s border with Turkey.
Control as of Oct. 1
Varied Rebel Groups Make Up the Opposition
Some 7,000 armed groups have formed during more than four years of civil war, according to the Carter Center. All groups are fighting against the Assad regime and the Islamic State, but different political ideologies and territorial divides have split the opposition into many factions. Here are some of the groups that make up the rebels.In the province of Aleppo, two groups are fighting government forces and the Islamic State. The more moderate Fatah Halab Operations Room excludes hard-line groups, while the Ansar al-Shariah Operations Room, formed as a response to Fatah Halab, works with the Nusra Front, an affiliate of Al Qaeda.In central Syria around Idlib, Latakia and Hama, the largest group is theArmy of Conquest, which has been a target of the Russian airstrikes. The group, also called Jaish al-Fatah, is a loose alliance of mostly Islamist factions, including the Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate; Ahrar al-Sham, another large group; and more moderate rebel factions that have received covert arms support from the intelligence services of the United States and its allies.In the Damascus region, the Army of Islam, a group with financial backing from Saudi Arabia, has declared war on Russia. It is one of several armed groups that form the East Gouta Council.In the South, the Southern Front is a coalition of smaller armed groups that has coordinated with the United States. The coalition supports a secular government.