ISIS in Syria

News reports from Syria indicate that ISIS has been nearly defeated there. The Islamic State has been forced into retreat, with many fighters and family members surrendering, and ISIS fighters confined to small part of eastern Syria in Boghouz.

Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.

Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for ISIS in Syria

Links

“In Syrian riverside camp, Daesh clings to last scrap of ‘caliphate’”
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1463576/middle-east

“UK pledges £400m to Syrian crisis”
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47504517

“Rallies held across Turkey for children and women in Syria jails”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/rallies-held-turkey-children-women-syria-jails-190309075240754.html

“Syria war: Lawyers submit first war crimes cases against Assad”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47483714

“IS group clings to last scrap of ‘caliphate’ in Syria”
https://www.france24.com/en/20190308-islamic-state-group-baghouz-syria-sdf-civilians

“Those responsible for Syria’s agony must be brought to book, starting at the top”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/09/isis-syria-war-crimes-accountable-assad-putin-icc

“Analysis: The Assad regime won Syria’s civil war. Can it survive an Israeli attack?”
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-syria-s-assad-regime-won-the-civil-war-can-it-survive-an-israeli-attack-1.6999227

“Syria must return to the Arab fold”
https://gulfnews.com/opinion/editorials/syria-must-return-to-the-arab-fold-1.62514585

“Coalition forces prepare for final fight in Syria’s last ISIS stronghold”
hhttps://www.npr.org/2019/03/08/701671572/coalition-forces-prepare-for-final-fight-in-syrias-last-isis-stronghold

“The caliphate is a hellscape of smoke and fire – ISIS has nowhere left to go”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/03/isis-nowhere-baghouz-last-stronghold-syrian-defence-forces

Assessment

Writing: Describe ISIS’s current situation in Syria.
Debate: US troops should remain in Syria until ISIS is defeated and then immediately withdraw.
Poll:Do you believe that ISIS will remain a worldwide terror threat after its defeat in Syria?
Short Answer: What is the primary reason for ISIS’ defeat in Syria?

Current events quiz:

1) What is the “caliphate”?

a. a branch of the Islamic religion
b. the group of Islamic State extremists who remain in Baghouz
c. the political party in power in Syria
d. the ruler of Syria

2) SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which country (countries) is (are) involved in the Syrian war?

a. United States
b. Russia
c. United Kingdom
d. Canada

3) Who is the president of Syria?

a. Bashar al-Assad
b. Muammar Al Gathafi
c. Ali Khamenei
d. Hassan Rouhani

4) The fighters in Baghouz will go to prison and the women and children will be sent to camps. (T/F)

5) The extremist group ISIS created a proto-state across large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014, ruling millions of people, but has since lost all of it except this tiny patch in Baghouz. (T/F)

6) The people fleeing Baghouz are largely against the Islamic State, disapproving entirely of ISIS and their ideologies. (T/F)