U.S. involvement in the Syrian civil war has increased tensions with the Russian military since both nations support different sides of the war. The Syrian government forces led by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad are supported by Russia, whilst the Syrian rebels, who are against Assad, are supported by the United States. The United States increased its support of the Syrian rebels after the Assad regime refused to conform to United Nations resolutions, which declared the use of chemical weapons as a tool of warfare to be illegal under international law. Nonetheless, United Nations sanctions against Assad’s government have been futile as Russia, being a permanent member of the U.N. security council, has used its veto power to block further resolutions that would result in sanctions on Syria. In fact, the Russian government has actually increased its financial, diplomatic, and military support for the Syrian government.

In 2016, Russia strengthened its military partnership with Assad by recruiting soldiers and other military officials to support the efforts of the Syrian government to regain control of major rebel-controlled cities, such as Aleppo. Chemical weapons were used in the rebel-controlled areas of Syria in an attempt to restore the city to government control. The Syrian government has denied any accusations by U.S. and European media that said chemical attacks were perpetrated by forces loyal to Assad. While it has yet to be confirmed, it is widely believed that the use of chemical weapons in Syria are a result of the actions of Syrian government forces.

In March 2017, the U.S. military dropped bombs on an Islamic mosque in a north Syrian village called Al-Jena. As a result of this attack, at least 42 Syrian civilians were killed and several dozens more were left injured. The United States military forces have confirmed that they were a part of the bombing in Syria, but they deny that they even hit the mosque. They claimed they were targeting a building where members of the terrorist group, Al Qaeda, were meeting, and the mosque was not involved in that incident. Evidently, the U.S. military forces were attempting to conceal their unethical action of attacking innocent civilians in a place of private worship.

On April 4, 2017, the city of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria faced repeated airstrikes by pro-government forces that resulted in hundreds of casualties and deaths. A chemical compound, known as Sarin gas, was used on the city, causing many serious injuries and deaths amongst the civilian population of the city.

Three days later, U.S. President Donald Trump authorized a series of cruise missile launches targeting Syria; the missiles were launched by U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea. These cruise missiles were directed at a Syrian airbase and killed two Syrian soldiers. The Russian ambassador to the United States has condemned the U.S. actions, citing that it would potentially escalate already present tensions in Syria.

On Thursday, April 13, the United States military dropped its most powerful non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan. According to CNN News, a 21,600-pound Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB) was dropped on this site at 7:32 p.m. It was meant to attack ISIS members who were suspected and reported to be in that area. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed to be proud of this mission and declared it to be a success from America’s part. As of April 2017, more than 220,000 people (including Syrian civilians, Syrian soldiers, and American soldiers) have been killed as a result of this dreadful civil war.

These, along with previous casualties, have resulted in widespread criticism of how the U.S. has dealt with the crisis so far. Nonetheless, Syrian civilians continue to be forcefully removed from their homes by the conflict, fleeing to Europe in hopes of finding safety and security as refugees.

While under President Obama’s administration, the notion of “boots on the ground” was disregarded as illogical and an inappropriate strategy; the United States sent military trainers and advisors to rebel forces in Syria. However, the current Trump Administration has taken a new approach to the conflict stating that now  “all options are on the table.”