War's timeline as Syrians mark 10 years since uprising began By The Associated Press Associated Press March 15, 2021 — 1:58am Text size Copy shortlink: BEIRUT — Syrians are marking 10 years since peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad's government erupted in March 2011, touching off a popular uprising that quickly turned into a full-blown civil war. Despite a decade of fighting and a broken country, Assad remains firmly in power. Syria is economically devastated and divided into three parts. An al-Qaida-linked group dominates the northwestern Idlib province, with Turkey-backed rebels controlling stretches along the Turkish border. U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces hold around a quarter of the country in the northeast. Assad controls the rest.