As if "defeating" ISIS was ever the purpose for the US being in Syria??The intent of the US to occupy Syria has been mentioned repeatedly here:Flashback: July 19/2017- US Increases Military Posts in Kurd Annexed Syria: Vindicated AgainFlashback:June 29/2017- US eyes arms for Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria even after Raqqa’s fall
Annexation/Occupation Forces for SyriaDestabilization for Turkey
"US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday left open the possibility of longer-term assistance to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, saying the US may need to supply them weapons and equipment even after the capture of Raqqa from ISIS.
Flashback: March 2017: Double Standards and Lies: Splitting Syria for Greater KurdistanQuoting myself from the March post "The Americans fully intend to become occupiers-"Quite certain I could go back farther still to demonstrate just how long I've been reporting on the US intent to stay on as occupiers in Syria.. National Petroleum/War Making Radio
"But the recapture of ISIS-held territory in Iraq and Syria is only a partial win for U.S. policy. After seven years of civil war, the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad remains in power. The other U.S. objectives — the end of the Assad regime, a new Syrian constitution and democratic elections — remain unfulfilled.Despite the defeat of ISIS, Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters this week that U.S. forces will remain in Syria.The intention, he said, is to prevent the appearance of "ISIS 2.0."There are hundreds of U.S. troops in Syria. Pentagon officials say the U.S. is on solid legal ground to be there because the U.N. Security Council endorsed the anti-ISIS mission. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the U.S. presence is "illegitimate.""There are a lot of questions to ask about the United States' goals in Syria," Lavrov said, according to the Russian news agency TASS. "U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has told me many times that their only goal is to defeat IS."A change in regime "runs counter to the Geneva agreements and ... assurances that the U.S.'s only goal in Syria is to fight terrorism," Lavrov said.Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies are demanding the U.S. leave Syria.The next meeting of the Geneva peace talks is Nov. 28. The U.S. is pressing for the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian Kurds to be at the negotiating table.But it's unlikely that Assad and the Russians will agree to that. With Russian and Iranian military assistance, Assad has emerged as the dominant political and military force in Syria with no need to accommodate his opponents.Pentagon officials say the Russians and Syrians continue to move east toward rebel-held territory. The U.S. is attempting to work with Russia to establish "de-confliction zones," but it's not clear the effort will succeed.What's more, U.S. ally Israel is increasingly concerned about the presence of Iranian forces in Syria, not far from the Israeli border. Russia has rejected both U.S. and Israeli objections to the Iranian presence"
Israel is so concerned they took shots at SAA in Syria today! IDF fires warning shots at Assad army in the Syrian Golan HeightsYoav Zitun|Published: 18.11.17 , 16:01
The IDF fired warning shots at a Druze village in the northern Syrian Golan Heights on Saturday.The IDF stated that the move was carried out due to the Syrian army's fortification work at one of its posts in the area.
NPR Continued....
Pentagon officials say the U.S. has one asset to advance its interests in Syria — money. The country needs to be rebuilt, and the belief is that Russia lacks the will or the resources to do it.The U.S. is spending money now in Raqqa on what it calls "stabilization" and will likely help elsewhere but hopes Saudi Arabia and the other Arab states will finance most of the rebuilding — in exchange for a political settlement of the Syrian conflict.
What ever does the US mean by stabilization? Flashback: Rebuilding Raqqa: Strengthening Terror Armies with "construction" contracts Stabilization = Strengthening Terror Armies
NPR: Yet this would seem to run counter to the Trump administration's aversion to "nation building." A strategy acceptable to Damascus may not be accepted in the White House.
Donald Trump has no aversion to nation building/nation busting up. What ever!US ready to ‘fight for justice’ in Syria without UN approval – Haley
Despite the UN not giving the greenlight for a full-fledged campaign in Syria, US Defense Secretary James Mattis claimed that the organization sanctioned action there, justifying it with the struggle against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists. Damascus has repeatedly blasted the US for operating on Syrian territory without its consent and in violation of international law, and views the US presence as an invasion.“With the unity of this council, or alone, unrestrained by Russia’s obstructionism, we will continue to fight for justice and accountability in Syria,” Haley said
