Washington: The Trump administration is now pledging the United States will remain in Syria until the “enduring defeat” of Daesh, a move that could signal open-ended American involvement in the war-torn country.
The announcement “means we’re not in a hurry to pull out,” the US special representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, told journalists in Washington on Thursday, although he added that didn’t necessarily mean a long-term American military presence in the country.
President Donald Trump has previously expressed a desire to get the United States out of Syria. There are roughly 2,000 US troops deployed there, according to the Pentagon.
“We’re no longer pulling out by the end of the year, we’re going to stay in until we have an enduring defeat of [Daesh],” Jeffrey said. The other pillar of US policy was the complete withdrawal of all Iranian-commanded forces from Syrian territory, said the veteran diplomat, who was appointed last month.
Jeffrey’s comments come as the government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, backed by Russia, prepares to retake Idlib, the last pocket of territory of held by anti-government rebels, amid fears that could cause a bloodbath. An estimated 10,000 hard-core fighters, including Al Qaida-linked militants, are said to be hiding among three million civilians.
Jeffrey repeated a sharp warning to Russia, saying any offensive in the northwestern province is “objectionable” and would be seen as a “reckless escalation.” Jeffrey said a US response to a Russian assault would involve “all of our tools,” but did not elaborate further.
The US and the United Nations have repeatedly warned that a Russian assault on the enclave would cause carnage on a scale never seen before in Syria’s seven-year war.
In an effort to increase pressure on Al Assad, the US Treasury Department announced on Thursday it was imposing sanctions on four individuals and five companies that have facilitated weapons or fuel transfers, or provided other financial or material support, to his government.
