<human>:  When did the Syrian civil war start?
<bot>: The Syrian civil war started in 2011 and is still ongoing. It is a complex conflict that has been going on for many years. The war started as a result of the Arab Spring, which was a series of protests and uprisings that began in 2011. The protests were aimed at overthrowing the Syrian government, but the government responded by using force to suppress the protests. The conflict has since escalated into a full-scale civil war.