Posted on 10/07/2021 3:27:44 PM PDT by American Number 181269513
A leading Syrian Kurdish politician said on Thursday the United States will stay on in Syria to destroy Islamic State, build infrastructure and remain a player in the search for a political settlement after more than 10 years of civil war.
The Kurds, who live in the mountainous region straddling the borders of Syria, Armenia, Iraq, Iran and Turkey, carved out self-rule across northeast Syria during the civil war that began in 2011.
President Bashar al-Assad was supported by Russia and Iran while the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia was backed by the United States. But in 2019 then-President Donald Trump pulledmost U.S. forces out of Syria to enable a Turkish offensive against the Kurds.
The chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan stoked concern across the Middle East that Trump's successor Joe Biden might abandon allies across the region as Washington perceived China to be the main strategic challenge.
But Ilham Ahmed - president of the executive committee of the Syrian Democratic Council, the political arm of the YPG - said the United States had given a clear commitment to the Kurds.
"They promised to do whatever it takes to destroy Islamic State and work to build infrastructure in North Eastern Syria," he told Reuters after meetings in Washington with White House, State Department and Pentagon representatives.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
WTF!?!
Build Syria Back Better!!
Do we really need to keep dumping money into these losing propositions?
There was a slight blip in the Forever War but everything is back on track now.
Pretty much that. President Trump evaluated Syria as not part of America First in All Things and said to exit. The Deep State tried to obstruct it.
They managed to prevent full withdrawl in utter, clear violation of their duties to obey the commander in chief.
And here we are.
The US could, of course, have decided not to try and overthrow Assad, which did nothing but empower Islamic terrorists - who are still in control in Idlib.
Maybe one day we’ll avoid one of these idiotic conflicts because of muh evil dictator that cause far more destruction than the evil dictator. Libya is another case.
“...United States will stay on in Syria to destroy Islamic State...”
The US wouldn’t know how to destroy the Islamic State if they flew them here to America and kept them on US military bases.
Illegally. Expect the costs in human and financial terms to increase.
The Biden/Obama administration is still looking for regime change.....they want Assad out and their people in.....
I thought Trump got us out of Syria...I mean totally.
No, he tried but he was betrayed by military brass. The deep state and the military/industrial complex hold all the power in the US.
Didn’t happen. Still almost 1000 there.
While it helps the Kurdish people of northern Syria, it keeps a U.S. foot in the door on long range political settlements in Syria, preventing a Russian-Iran-Assad deal regarding all of Syria that could be counter to U.S. security interests in the region. The expense is minor, with the U.S. provides military a technical, supply support and intelligence role, with the Kurds and their northern Syria neighbors and allies providing the “boots on the ground”. Rather than leaving the security interests in the eastern Mediterranean to Russia and Iran, and hegemony seeking Erdogan, having our foot in the door of their plans is good for our own interests.
What are those interests?
What Trump said and what Trump did are two different things, when it comes to Syria, after Erdogan’s war engendering antics and then military advisers advice on the relationships, intelligence and security, between northeastern Syria and Iraq. That’s in addition to having a U.S. foot in the door when it comes to Russia, Iran and Assad trying to make a final political settlement in Syria that might please only Russia, Iran and Assad.
“The US could, of course, have decided not to try and overthrow Assad, which did nothing but empower Islamic terrorists - who are still in control in Idlib.”
Yes, the key mistake was the intentional western supported destabilization of Syria with the stupid idea that a western style democracy would spring from an opposition movement that was dominated by the Syria Muslim Brotherhood and supported by multiple groups of terroristic religious cousins. It gave ISIS in Iraq a chaotic military theater in which to recruit on an “opposing Assad” theme, which enabled them to grow strong enough in Syria to march back into Iraq with a battle hardened and trained force. It was dumb enought on that level, but just as dumb because instead of maintaining a stable and easily maintained security dynamic vis a vis Russian and Iranian support for Assad, both nations massively increased their presence in Syria, which would not have been the case had the status quo in Syria remained.
However, that is all in the past. The mistakes were done.
At least now our small (tiny) footprint of assistance to the Kurds of northern Syria keeps a U.S. foot in the door on any long term political settlement attempted by Russia, Iran and Assad acting in only their own interests.
Our allies in the region and the geographic importance of Syria sitting on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean and what that is now affording Russia and Iran in military terms.
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