U.S. troops in eastern Syria aren’t going anywhere, not even in the aftermath of the fall of the government of Bashar al-Assad and the takeover by forces heretofore classified as “terrorists” by the U.S. government. “Those troops are there for a very specific and important reason, not as some sort of bargaining chip,” U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said in an interview at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York, reported the Times of Israel. U.S. troops “have been there now for the better part of a decade or more to fight ISIS.… We are still committed to that mission.”
Finer replied to a direct question as to whether U.S. troops are staying, saying, “Yes.”
Also yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement asserting full U.S. support for its new regime in Damascus, provided it meets U.S.-dictated conditions. “The United States reaffirms its full support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition,” Blinken said. “This transition process should lead to credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian governance that meets international standards of transparency and accountability, consistent with the principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.
“The transition process and new government must also uphold clear commitments to fully respect the rights of minorities, facilitate the flow of humanitarian assistance to all in need, prevent Syria from being used as a base for terrorism or posing a threat to its neighbors, and ensure that any chemical or biological weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed…. The United States will recognize and fully support a future Syria government that results from this process. We stand prepared to lend all appropriate support to all of Syria’s diverse communities and constituencies.”
