The humanitarian crisis in Syria is one of the most dire issues facing the world today. According to Amnesty International, some 220,000 people have been killed since the Syrian crisis began, 4 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, and an estimated 12.8 million people are in need of humanitarian aid within Syria. More than 50 percent of the Syrian population has been displaced by the conflict.

This particular crisis traces its roots back to the demonstrations against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in 2011 during the Arab Spring. These protests were met with violence by the al-Assad regime, and later that year, the United States, along with other European leaders, formally called for al-Assad to resign his post as president of Syria.

The Syrian government did not change its tactics, and soon the demonstrations turned into an armed resistance against the regime. The self-proclaimed Islamic State, or ISIS, gained influence within the power vacuum left as Syria was plunged into a protracted civil war. ISIS actively fought against the al-Assad Regime, and expanded its influence throughout the region and most notably into Iraq.

Fighting still continues in Syria, and the direction the conflict will take remains unclear. The United States has made it clear it will not accept Bashar al-Assad’s regime, nor will it accept the rise of ISIS.

By Battalion news reporter Jordan Sloan.