[pjw] NEWS: US pounds ISIS camps in Syria after Assad flees (Politico 12/8)

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello Iraq Affinity Group supporters
For sure one topic on tonight's IAG agenda (which mostly came up between 
when I sent out the original agenda and this weekend) is the collapse of 
the Syrian government. As I noted in the report back on Saturday, the 
people who have taken charge are among those the US would normally label 
"terrorists." It surprises me a bit, then, that the US continues its 
arrogant position that it has the right to keep several bases and 900 
troops in Syria when they have no idea what the future brings. Unless, of 
course, they somehow have already been coordinating with the rebels and 
have an agreement to remain there. The below article from Politico 
indicates not only that the US felt just fine dropping bombs in the 
country they were never invited to, but that at least one key member of 
congress thinks there's no reason to leave.

Huh.

Oh, also Israel is patting itself on the back and saying they paved the 
way for this by bombing Syria, Iran, Lebanon (Hezbollah) etc.

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-claims-credit-for-starting-historic -process-that-led-to-syrian-regimes-fall/

And they've crossed from the territory they occupy in Syria's Golan 
Heights into what's supposed to be a neutral buffer zone.

  https://apnews.com/video/bashar-assad-israel-government-syria-israel-syria-government-469fc5a70685464595f4a03ec1337645

dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group

  https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/08/us-troops-stay-syria-shaheen-00193192
US pounds ISIS camps in Syria after Assad flees
“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute,” a top 
general said.
By JACK DETSCH, PAUL MCLEARY and JOE GOULD
12/08/2024 01:39 PM EST
Updated: 12/08/2024 03:29 PM EST

The U.S. carried out a major round of airstrikes on Islamic State targets 
on Sunday, and warned the terror group against trying to regain strength 
in the country after rebels took over the government.

The operation included “dozens” of airstrikes on over 75 targets involving 
ISIS operatives and camps using B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter jets and A-10 
close-air support attack aircraft “to ensure that ISIS does not seek to 
take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria,” 
according to a statement from U.S. Central Command.

“There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and 
take advantage of the current situation in Syria,” said Central Command 
chief Gen. Erik Kurilla, “All organizations in Syria should know that we 
will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any 
way.”

News of the strikes come after the stunning collapse of the Assad regime 
in Syria that has upended the security situation in the Middle East, and 
raises fresh questions about the role of the 900 U.S. troops stationed in 
the country.

On Saturday, President-elect Trump, who twice sought to end the U.S. troop 
presence in Syria during his first term, called the country “a mess” and 
said the U.S. should not get involved in the conflict.

One top lawmaker who was among those gathered this weekend at the Reagan 
National Defense Forum said she hopes otherwise. The 900 troops on the 
ground in Syria are spread between several small outposts where they 
continue to train Kurdish militias and work to keep ISIS from regenerating 
while guiding U.S. airstrikes on Iranian-backed militias operating in the 
country.

“I think leaving our forces that are there — we’ve got about 900 troops 
there — and ensuring they can continue to protect themselves is really 
important,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the incoming ranking member 
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

There are no immediate changes to the posture of the troops in Syria, a 
Defense Department official said on Sunday, just hours after the complete 
collapse of President Bashar Assad’s regime in the face of a lightning 
rebel offensive. The official was granted anonymity to discuss operations.

In remarks on Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden said the U.S. troops 
will be protected.

“We will help ensure stability in eastern Syria, protecting any personnel 
— our personnel — against any threats and ... our mission against ISIS 
will be maintained including security of detention facilities where ISIS 
fighters are being held as prisoners,” he said.

The U.S. forces are in the north and east of the country, hundreds of 
miles from the recent fighting that saw the Turkish-backed Hayat Tahrir 
al-Sham race through the countryside, chasing Assad’s troops out of the 
major city of Aleppo and taking Damascus on Saturday. The United States 
labels the group as a terrorist organization.

The stunning fall of one of the world’s longest-running and most brutal 
dictatorships brought an end to the Assad family’s 50 years of iron-fisted 
rule, a situation that will reverberate throughout the region and beyond. 
Not only will Russia potentially lose its only foreign air base, but also 
its only overseas naval facility. The rebel victory also will likely cut 
off Iranian supply routes to Hezbollah in Lebanon and block its access to 
the Mediterranean.

Just hours before rebel forces marched into Damascus, Shaheen said she was 
concerned about the fate of thousands of ISIS detainees who are being 
guarded by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that receive training 
and equipment from American troops.

“I think that’s a concern, and what that means if they hook up with ISIS 
is a real challenge,” Shaheen added, also expressing concern that the 
rebels now holding Damascus could link up with ISIS.

The instability in Syria, she said, is “one more potential ember that 
could ignite a broader conflict in the Middle East, and that it’s in our 
interest to support America’s allies who are there — Israel, Jordan, Iraq 
— who are providing some stability.”

The security situation is “like a Dumpster fire and a trainwreck all 
wrapped up in a Sharknado,” and “bad news for the United States as we are 
really trying to stabilize the region,” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the top 
Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on 
emerging threats, said at the conference.

McConnell takes indirect swipe at Trump on America’s role in the world
Others also questioned whether the rapid push by the conglomeration of 
Islamist rebels to the capital would help the United States in the fight 
against ISIS in the long run. Speaking at the conference on Saturday, 
Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog said that while the 
developments represented “a major blow” to Iran, “there are no good guys 
in this story.” Israel is worried the extremist group might get access to 
the collapsed government’s chemical weapons.

“The main question now is what comes next,” said Mick Mulroy, a former 
deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East during the Trump 
administration. “Will ISIS make a resurgence with a sympathetic power in 
Damascus? What will the international [community] do and who will they 
recognize as the leader of Syria? Is there even a Syria?”