America’s New Game in Syria
The launch of a Turkish military operation in Syria following the provocative withdrawal of US forces from the latter, pushed a number of politicians from all over the world to express their concerns that the events taking place will, most likely, negate the achievements of the international community in the battle against the terrorist organization DAESH (prohibited in the Russian Federation). And this indisputable fact is supported by substantial evidence.
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, up to 14,000 captured DAESH militants, as well as their family members, could be located in the territory which was previously controlled by the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces before US troops left. They surrendered in mass numbers when American aircraft were brutally bombing the last terrorist camp near Al-Baguz. Currently, the terrorists are detained in several concentration camps and prisons, kept separate from their relatives. But, according to sources, they are gradually beginning to disappear since the Kurds are no longer able to guard the prisons due to the current circumstances.
In this regard, the cynical statement made by Donald Trump at a White House press conference was particularly shocking. The US President suddenly invited Moscow and Damascus to engage in the battle against DAESH, in response to a question about the US military leaving Syria. Trump noted that every ‘major player’ in the region despises DAESH terrorists, Russia and Syria in particular. He also noted that there is nothing wrong with them defeating the terrorists in lieu of American troops.
However, US president forgot to mention two important issues. Firstly, that it was the United States that created and financed DAESH terrorists, supplying them with modern weapons in order to combat the legitimately elected Syrian President B. Assad. Secondly, Trump himself declared some time ago that DAESH had been defeated by American troops, which had been sent onto Syrian territory allegedly for this very purpose, despite the protests of Damascus. Now it turns out that the terrorists were left undefeated, and Trump shamefully asks Russia and Syria to deal with this issue.
In this instance, the United States, as always, continues to play a double game in this region, withdrawing its troops from the north of Syria and relocating them to the west of Iraq. The head of the Pentagon, Mark Esper, said that this was allegedly done to further combat DAESH in Iraqi territory. Whatever it may be, further support for the ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ may continue through Iraq. Moreover, the location is very convenient: Iraq borders with Syria along the desert outskirts, which are controlled by terrorist forces. It is obvious that the United States is withdrawing its troops from the borders in order to remove its military from the war zone and thereby avoid casualties which cause discontent and trigger protests among the American population. At the same time, military losses serve as an extra advantage to Trump’s enemies among the Democrats, who dream of electing a new President in the upcoming 2020 elections.
The relocation of US troops to Iraqi territory happened simultaneously with the Pentagon rescuing “its own terrorists” by transferring them to Iraq. According to SANA (Syrian Arab News Agency), American heavy transport helicopters were spotted in the northern part of the Al-Hasakah Governorate and, according to eyewitnesses, they took large groups of DAESH terrorists on board. The news agency also reports that 230 foreign terrorists previously captured in Al-Malakiya and Al-Shaddadi were transported in just one day. Furthermore, based on reports, the US constantly transports DAESH commanders by air away from the regions where Syrian government forces are exerting extreme pressure on them.
The Iraqi News agency reported that the Iraqi army is preparing to face a DAESH-led breach at the Syrian border. Up to 3,000 militants who were recently in prisons and concentration camps can move across the border anytime, and with them—several thousand more members of their families, according to the military expert Safa al-Aasam. Baghdad takes the threat very seriously. The ‘filter’ will consist of four lines of defense—border guards, the Shiite militia al-Hashd al-Shaab, the army and police cordons. A DAESH breach is expected anywhere across the border, but most likely in north Jazir, between Anbar and Mosul. “Reports of preparations for a breach through the border appeared immediately after the Iraqi Kurdistan government announced a large number of refugees from Syria following the departure of American troops and the start of the Turkish military operation,” Iraqi News notes. Note that the terrorists fleeing the prisons in Raqqa and Al-Hasakah are mainly aiming for Iraq, where significant forces of the organization’s “sleeping cells” are located.
The conclusion is quite obvious. The captured militants and their families were invited to flee across the border to Iraq. There they will be able to take to their old habits—Iraqi News reports of the escape of a group of high-ranking ‘emirs’ (field commanders) of the DAESH, who were previously held in prisons. So the terrorists, while trying to preserve the dangerous ‘gifts’ of the United States in north-east Syria, are likely to drag not only Syria, but also the other countries of this region into a war against DAESH. Apparently, in the near future new populistic statements will be heard from Washington about the US desire to fight until its dying breath against Middle Eastern terrorists.
Senator Lindsay Graham, who often meets with the US President and is one of his strongest and most influential supporters in Congress, spoke quite sharply about Trump’s Syrian policy. Leaving is the worst decision of the Trump presidency, according to the senator. “Those who think that the US doesn’t care about Middle East should recall the events of 9/11–we had the same opinion of them on 9/11/2001 as we have now of the events unfolding in Northern Syria.”
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who accused US authorities of using terrorists in the fight against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, holds a similar opinion. She said, quite bluntly, that the terrorists became the US’ ground forces in the Syrian War. At the same time, T. Gabbard herself hypocritically promises that such an approach will be forgotten if she wins the election. It is worth recalling in this regard that it was under the rule of the Democratic Party in the United States that terrorists served as an asset for them not only in Syria but also in other parts of the world.
A rather unusual fact has become apparent in recent events: American air force purposefully bombed its two own military bases. The official statement on this subject was trite. According to the US administration, they did not want to withdraw their troops but leave behind weapons for the enemy to use. The enemy, apparently, was meant to be Damascus, since Turkey is a member of NATO and, therefore, an ally of the United States. But, according to the local maintenance personnel, there were also old Soviet weapons in the base, which the Pentagon had purchased in large quantities from former socialist states. In addition, eyewitnesses claim that the bases also had chemical weapon production facilities. It is not surprising that American aviation leveled these bases to the ground, and now the rest of the world is left wondering about what truly happened.
However, the truth came out. According to international media reports, chemical weapons had been, in fact, used in Northern Syria. But by whom? As we know, the Syrian government either removed or destroyed their chemical weapons under strict international control. Turkey sharply rejected all speculation about the use of chemical weapons by its troops. Ravina Shamdasani, the Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has denied any allegations that Turkey used chemical weapons during Operation Peace Spring. R. Shamdasani said that certain people attempted to manipulate information regarding the Operation Peace Spring in social networks using fake photos; supposedly, Turkey used prohibited ammunition, such as chemical weapons or phosphorus bombs during its offensive. Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar assessed the situation in Northern Syria. “The rapidly changing situation in the region entails certain problems. We have information that the terrorist organization is using chemical weapons, all the while trying to lay blame on the Turkish Armed Forces. Everyone knows that there are no chemical weapons in Turkey’s military inventory,” he stressed.
But if neither Syria nor Turkey initiated chemical warfare, then the only possible culprits are DAESH terrorists who are sponsored by the United States and have repeatedly used chemical weapons, shamelessly blaming Damascus for their deeds. But back then, all these performances were skillfully delivered by professional provocateurs from the White Helmets organization. Now these provocateurs are far away in the UK, whose foreign intelligence service, MI6 created this organization and generously paid for the dirty work of its members.
Come to think of it, maybe these very provocateurs fulfilled the order of their British customers and poisoned the Skripals and then blamed Russia for this? After all, their experience is significant; in Syria, these White Helmets had a lot of practice.
The ancient Greeks used to say that everything flows, and everything changes. Only the US policy regarding the Middle East remains an exception to this rule. The cowboys from the Potomac have always resorted to force, threats, pressure, the creation of coups and local wars using unsavory characters, and now Washington is operating in a similar fashion. But we live in the 21st century, the situation in the world is changing, and Washington, in order to live up to its status as a ‘democratic’ state, must move with the times and escape the quagmire of past practices.
Viktor Mikhin, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.”
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