Part 4/8:
The turning point is often marked by clashes between the Syrian army and the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which formed from defectors disgusted by the government's treatment of civilians. The brutal military tactics employed by Assad, including overwhelming force and scorched earth strategies, solidified the uprising into a lengthy civil war that would leave no aspect of Syrian life untouched.
The Alliance with Extremists and the Use of Chemical Weapons
As the civil war escalated, Syria became a battlefield for a myriad of factions—some secular, others Islamist—including the notorious Islamic State (ISIS). Assad, while fighting various rebel groups, exploited the chaos to further his control, allowing groups like ISIS to eliminate rivals while he consolidated power.