13 Major Wars Happening Right Now Around the World

In December 2017, the U.S. announced an end to its combat mission in Iraq, a country severely upended since the U.S. invaded it in 2003 based on the Bush administration false claims of Iraq President’s Saddam Hussein’s involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Since the withdrawal of U.S. troops, the situation in Iraq remains tenuous despite the Iraq government’s claim of victory over Islamic State militants more than five years ago. As in neighboring Syria, Iraq is grappling with ongoing terrorist attacks, most recently in January, in an attack on an Iraq police station in the country’s northeast.

The Myanmar civil war is Asia’s newest major conflict, which erupted shortly after the military seized power and began killing anti-government protesters. The coup inspired civilians to take up arms and form organized rebel groups. Since then, the intensity of attacks and the number of people killed has increased nationwide, with most of the worst fighting occurring in the north of this country of 54 million. In January, pro-democracy fighters targeted military personnel conducting a census because they said it was a set-up for an illegitimate election scheduled to take place later this year.

Since the start of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and millions have fled their homes. Eleven months into the war, escalation appears to be imminent as Russia is reportedly setting up for a late-winter or spring offensive, while Germany and the U.S. are among nations preparing to send tanks to the Ukrainian army.

In December, Ukraine used drones to attack military bases deep inside Russian territory, and a month later struck a building in Donetsk, killing at least 89 Russian troops. Meanwhile, Russia has escalated attacks on Ukraine infrastructure, leaving millions without utilities, including heat, in the winter.