'Russia’s support for Syrian leader at odds with war on Daesh'
The Untied States claims Russia’s support for the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad runs counter to the war against Deash (ISIL) Takfiri terrorists in Syria.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the Russian military buildup in Syria “appears to be an effort to continue to prop up the Assad regime, which we believe is completely at odds with actually trying to go after the extremist threat.”
“Not everything that we’re seeing them bring in would … lead one to believe that it is solely designed to go after terrorist networks,” he said in an apparent criticism of Russia.
According to US officials, Russia recently moved fighter jets, artillery units, tanks and hundreds of troops to an airport in Syria’s western province of Latakia.
Washington says Moscow is seeking to establish a military outpost in Syria to help the government in its fight against ISIL terrorists. US officials also said the deployment raises the possibility of air combat missions in the Syrian airspace.
Pentagon chief Ashton Carter also warned Russia, suggesting that a military buildup in Syria could “pour gasoline on the [ISIL] phenomenon.”
He argued that any effort to crush the ISIL wihtout simultaneously pursuing a political transition away from President Assad will only “fuel the very kind of extremism that underlies ISIL.”
Carter further referred to his last week talk with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Shoygu, and stressed Washington’s “desire to defeat ISIL” as well as “the need for a political transition in Syria.”
“I think we’re prepared to discuss a way ahead with Russia where the political and the military move is parallel,” he said.
Syrian forces under the command of President Assad have been battling Daesh (ISIL) terrorists on different fronts throughout the war-torn country since early 2011.
ISIL terrorists, who were reportedly trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, now control parts of Syria and Iraq. They have been engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.
Observers say while the US and its allies claim to be fighting against terrorist groups like Daesh, they in fact helped create and train those terror organizations to push their policies in the Middle East.
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