The US faces a dilemma regarding Syria as the jihadists advance, squeezing the Assad regime.
The surprise attack on Aleppo by rebel groups puts the US in the difficult position of not fully supporting either side while maintaining a force of about 1,000 troops in Syria as part of the mission to fight ISIS, CNN notes.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Gen. Pat Ryder stressed yesterday that the US had no involvement in the jihadists' advance on Aleppo and the capture of Syria's second-largest city for the first time in years.
"Let me be clear that the US is in no way involved in the operations you see unfolding in and around Aleppo, northwestern Syria, under the leadership of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a terrorist organization." He added that the US "urges de-escalation"
Concern in the US about the plans of jihadists in Syria
The dilemma of the US regarding the developments in Syria was further highlighted by the statements of the National Security Advisor of the White House. As Jake Sullivan pointed out in his statements on CNN on Sunday, HTS is "an organization that has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. So we have real concerns about her plans and goals.
At the same time, of course, we are not crying over the fact that the Assad government, supported by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, is under pressure," Sullivan added. “Well, it's a complicated situation. It's something we're watching closely and we're staying in close contact with regional partners about it."
HTS founder Abu Mohammad al-Jolani had previously set up another jihadist group, Jabhat al-Nusra, an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Syria, and despite HTS' efforts to distance itself from al-Qaeda, the US has designated it as a terrorist organization since 2018 organization.
"As you know, it was previously known as the Nusra Front, an organization with ties to Al Qaeda in Syria, but it still remains designated as a terrorist organization," Lt. Gen. Ryder said.
The US is not lifting sanctions on the Assad regime
Meanwhile, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said later on Monday that the US would not lift sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime because "he has shown no change in behavior."
The US has imposed sanctions on the regime since 2011, when the uprisings in Syria began, to pressure "the regime to allow a democratic transition, as the people demand," according to the US State Department.
US-Russia Contact to Avoid 'Miscalculations'
The US is keeping around 900 troops in the country amid renewed unrest in Syria as part of the anti-ISIS mission. And although Aleppo is on the other side of Syria from where US forces are operating, instability and Russia's interest in supporting the Assad regime with bombings against rebels in Aleppo and Idlib prompted the US military to reach out to Moscow. to avoid "miscalculations".
The Pentagon spokesman said yesterday that the American general who heads the coalition forces fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria contacted Russian officials through a special channel given that the forces of the two sides are operating in relatively close proximity. "I will not go into details regarding these talks, other than that we have this communication mechanism to prevent possible miscalculations," he said.
Source: iefimerida.gr
