After recent terror attacks in US & the country giving it back to the terror groups in Syria, a question has been catching up – What are the US forces still doing in Syria?
| photo source: Reuters
The United States’ air attacks which it says are in connection with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) in eastern Syria have again helped the question against the country’s continued force deployment in
Syria.
Though in the previous years we have seen that the US has pulled back its extensive interference in Syria but
still, it does not change the limited but continued force deployment.
The deployment’s main motive is being told to put a bar on ISIS’ working & limit Iran’s influence in Syria.
The ‘Iran-linked’ raids in easter Syria were the latest additions in the latter. Central Command spokesperson
Colonel Joe Buccino told them to be a response to August 15 attacks in the US. He also called the strikes to
be “necessary to protect and defend US personnel”.
US’ goals in Syria
Last year, Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East & North Africa, outlined the US’ four
main objectives in keeping the forces out there in Syria.
The reasons are- to reduce violence, maintain military pressure on ISIL, address Syria’s humanitarian crisis, and to support Israel.
Mzahem Alsaloum, a senior analyst of Syria said that America’s main goal in Syria is to keep terror groups
away from their liberated roots. “The official goal of the Americans in Syria is defeating ISIS and ensuring
that ISIS does not return to the areas that have been liberated,” said Mzahem Alsaloum.
He added that “the presence of the Americans is also important to cut [Iranian] military and smuggling
supply lines [from Iraq] … if the Iranians took al-Tanf, there would be a direct link between Tehran, Baghdad,
and Damascus.”
When it all started
Despite the fact that the US was already indicating support to the opposition in Syria, shortly after an uprising opposing conflict was beginning against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The US’ first military interference or operation in Syria was against ISIL.
In September 2014, a US-led coalition launched air raids against ISIL in Syria, as part of a campaign it was already conducting in Iraq.
The US has till now contributed 2000 soldiers in the coalition of Syrian Democratic Forces.
Where is the US forces located in Syria
Hassakeh and Raqqa provinces are still a location for US’ troops, but the major place is the al-Tanf base. The al-Tanf base has been controlled by the US since 2016 in a small village of Syria.
This base is located near the borders of Syria, Jordan & Iraq.
This range of around 55 kilometres is patrolled by the allied forces of the US too. This zone is called the “deconfliction zone”
The area was first agreed as the “deconfliction zone” by Russia but afterward it called for the US to withdraw their forces.
US’ attack on the government of Syria
Despite President Obama’s talk of the ‘red line’, the al-Assad government did use chemical weapons to attack Idlib province where more than 88 civilians were killed.
After the break of the talk, the US fired cruise missiles on the chemical base from which the missiles were fired.
In addition to the SDF, the US has covertly armed and trained Syrian opposition forces, although that was severely reduced in 2017, and limited only to groups directly fighting ISIL.
More on Syria- https://tdznkwjt9mxt6p1p8657.cleaver.live/isis-chief-of-syria-killed-in-u-s-drone-strike/
