- Trump says Russia’s abandonment of Bashar al-Assad led to his downfall
WASHINGTON: The United States will maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro said on Sunday.
Speaking hours after Syrian rebels announced they had toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government, Shapiro called on all parties to protect civilians, particularly minorities, and to respect international norms.
“We are aware that the chaotic and dynamic circumstances on the ground in Syria could give ISIS space to find the ability to become active, to plan external operations, and we’re determined to work with those partners to continue to degrade their capabilities,” he told the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain’s capital.
“(We’re determined) to ensure (Islamic State’s) enduring defeat, to ensure the secure detention of ISIS fighters and the repatriation of displaced persons,” Shapiro added.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the rebel advances across western Syria, was formerly an al Qaeda affiliate known as the Nusra Front until its leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, severed ties with the global jihadist movement in 2016.
Western governments, which have shunned the Assad-led state for years, must decide how to deal with a new administration in which HTS looks set to have influence. HTS is a globally designated terrorist group.
‘Russia’s abandonment of Bashar al-Assad led to his downfall’
Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that Russia’s abandonment of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad led to his downfall, adding Moscow never should have protected him in the first place and then lost interest because of a war in Ukraine that never should have started.
“Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by (President) Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
“There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place,” Trump wrote. “They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine … a war that should never have started, and could go on forever.”
Trump, who takes office on January 20, added that Russia and Iran, Assad’s other main backer, “are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success”.
Trump, who has said he will seek to halt the Ukraine war rapidly, met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday in Paris where they were both attending a ceremony to reopen Notre-Dame Cathedral.
He said Russia and Ukraine had both suffered hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded troops, and Ukraine had also lost many civilians.
He added the Ukrainian leader “would like to make a deal and stop the madness … There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!”
