What You Need to Know About the Syrian Conflict

Obama will address the nation on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Arming Syrian Rebels - The House on Sept. 17 in a rare show of bipartisan support approved by a vote of 273-156 Obama's request for funding to arm and train Syrian rebels as part of it's plan to destroy the Islamist terrorist group ISIL. The bill was supported by 159 Republicans and 114 Democrats. The Senate also voted to arm and train the rebels before returning to their home states for the election season. (Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah)
Syrian Refresher - Since March 2011, Syria has been crippled by a brutal civil war. More than an estimated 100,000 people have died in the last two-and-a-half years in violent clashes between President Bashar al-Assad’s long-serving government and rebel forces who want him out.(Photo: REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters)
Nic558373From Peace to Bloodshed - As the demonstrators became more resolute, the government crackdown worsened. On March 18, 2011, the army opened fire on protesters, killing four people. At the victims’ funerals the next day, the army shot at mourners, killing one. The jailed youths were eventually freed, but the unrest had already spread throughout the country thanks to social media. Despite calls for him to leave, President al-Assad refuses to step down.(Photo: Jalaa Marey/JINI/Getty Images)

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What's Happening in Syria? - A devastating chemical attack. A possible U.S. military intervention. Hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. The two-year-long Syrian crisis has exploded back into international headlines with a vengeance. Read to learn more about the conflict’s origin, the key issues and the U.S.’s potential involvement.—Patrice Peck(Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah )

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