WASHINGTON/MANAMA: The United States will maintain its presence in eastern Syria and will take measures necessary to prevent a resurgence of Daesh, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Daniel Shapiro said on Sunday.
Speaking hours after Syrian rebels announced they had toppled Bashar 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 Daesh 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 Daesh fighters and the repatriation of displaced persons,” Shapiro added.
Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the militant 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.
US President Joe Biden was keeping a close eye on “extraordinary events” transpiring in Syria, the White House said late Saturday.
“President Biden and his team are closely monitoring the extraordinary events in Syria and staying in constant touch with regional partners,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement on social media.
President-elect Donald Trump said that Assad had “fled his country” after losing the backing of Russia.
“Assad is gone,” he said on his Truth Social platform Sunday. “His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer.”
Earlier, Trump said Saturday that the US military should stay out of the escalating conflict in Syria as a shock opposition offensive closes in on the capital, declaring in a social media post, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.”
Trump’s comments on the dramatic militant push were his first since Syrian militants launched their advance late last month. They came while he was in Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral.
In his post, Trump said Assad did not deserve US support to stay in power.
