Secretary of State Antony Blinken will begin a short trip to the Middle East on Wednesday with stops in Jordan and Turkey, the State Department said after Blinken said he supported forming a “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian” government in Syria. Announced.
Blinken pledged that the United States would “recognize and fully support” the Syrian government that emerges from a “comprehensive and transparent process” to replace Bashar al-Assad's regime, currently led by an al-Qaeda splinter led by U.S.-wanted terrorists. did.
Syria's long-standing government under Iranian-backed dictator Assad collapsed on Saturday when members of the jihadist al-Qaeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) arrived in the capital Damascus. HTS, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, is one of the many factions that have long been fighting in Syria's civil war, which began in 2011, and launched a new campaign to overthrow the regime in late November. It was a rapid success.
Following President Assad's decision to defect to Moscow, Russia this weekend, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani is currently wish The man, whose real name is Ahmed al-Sharaa, has positioned himself as the leader of the transition process, replacing President Bashar al-Assad and representing Syria's Arab-Sunni majority government.
HTS is a US-designated terrorist organization, and the US has placed an outstanding $10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of al-Jolani (or al-Shara). Global terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the Taliban this week celebrated HTS and its success in ousting Assad.
Despite the rise of jihadist groups in the face of the fall of the brutal Assad regime, outgoing President Joe Biden has publicly stated: celebrated He took credit for Syria's development. Anonymous “government official” said Reporters on Monday said it was “impossible not to place” the fall of the Assad regime in the “context” of the decisions Biden has made as president. In reality, the United States did not play a major role in last month's events. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), America's biggest ally in Syria, is embroiled in its own war against Syria, backed by Turkey. National Armed Forces (SNA) paramilitary organization.
blinken issued Tuesday's statement asserted that the United States will not play a major political role in Syria's future, but that it stands to support whatever government emerges after the decades-old regime of Assad falls.
“The United States reaffirms its full support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition,” he wrote. “This transition process should lead to reliable, inclusive and non-sectarian governance that meets international standards of transparency and accountability.”
Blinken went on to urge “transitional” leaders to “fully respect the rights of minorities” and that “all countries” support an “inclusive and transparent process” led by the HTS. I encouraged them to do so. Blinken pledged that “the United States recognizes and fully supports any future Syrian government that emerges from this process.”
blinken I left On Wednesday, I will go to Jordan and Türkiye. Jordan shares an extensive border with Syria, as well as Turkey. Turkey has likely been in Syria since it has regularly bombed Kurdish strongholds in Syria for years and continues to support the SNA, formerly the Free Syrian Army (FSA), in the US-backed Kurdish eradication campaign. It is the most deeply involved foreign country. Kurdish-led Self-Defense Forces in northern Syria. State Department said Blinken used his time in the Middle East to “reiterate the United States' support for an inclusive, Syrian-led transition to a responsible and representative government,” repeating his statement on Tuesday.
“The Prime Minister will discuss Syria's transition process and the need for a new government to respect the rights of minorities,” the State Department added, “to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid and prevent Syria from being used as a terrorist base. “We will prevent it from becoming a threat,” he added. Provide security to neighboring countries and ensure that chemical weapons stockpiles are secured and safely destroyed. ”
The travel announcement did not directly mention Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava). The SDF has worked closely with the U.S. military for many years and was one of the most important actors in the fight to dismantle the Islamic State caliphate in Syria, helping to liberate its “capital” of Raqqa. It is currently under siege by Turkish-backed forces, and two NATO allies are on opposing sides in a secondary conflict in the war against Assad.
Gen. Michael “Eric” Kurilla, commander of the Pentagon’s Central Command. visited The SDF met with SDF leaders in northern Syria on Tuesday and pledged the United States' continued commitment to “continued efforts to stop ISIS.” [Islamic State] Don't take advantage of the current situation. ”
“There is no question: we will not allow ISIS to regroup and take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” Kurilla said in response to the airstrikes that Biden reportedly authorized. intended To reduce the capabilities of the Islamic State. “All organizations in Syria should know that we will be held accountable if we partner with or support ISIS in any way.”
The pledge to prevent the resurgence of ISIS was made independent of any commitment to protect the SDF from the SNA, a paramilitary group backed by NATO allies.
Mr. Blinken's strangely positive attitude toward his promise to form a government under the watchful eye of Sunni jihadists was not the only optimistic statement from Biden officials. On Monday, an unnamed “senior administration official” told reporters that he is “very hopeful” that President Biden will honor his statement that HTS will not engage in genocidal activities.
“I believe the president today addressed the statements of rebel leaders and what they were saying and whether those statements would be translated into action on the ground,” the official said. quotation As you say. “We have high hopes that they will. But we will be engaging with a wide range of people, including Syrian society, opposition groups, local Syrian groups, and exile groups.”
The official hinted that the Biden administration was “in touch” with HTS, but would not confirm.
