The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the US, is an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and continues to battle ISIS terrorists still holed in Raqqa city which was the de facto capital of the Takfiri group in Syria since its capture in 2014.
Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed that ISIS terrorists are abandoning Raqqa after surrendering the city to SDF.
The ejection of ISIS terrorists from Raqqa is merely symbolic as less than 8 percent of Syria’s territory remains under the control of the Takfiri group.
US protecting battered image as terrorists’ backer
However, US is backing the so-called liberation of the city, which gained its infamy as the de facto capital of ISIS, to protect its battered image as a backer of Takfiri terrorists in Syria. Russia and Syria have on several occasions blamed the US, based on concrete evidence, of backing ISIS and other Takfiri terrorists in the country.
Last week Russian Defense Ministry said the 100km area around the US al-Tanf base near the Syrian-Jordanian border has become a “black hole” which ISIS terrorists use to carry out attacks against Syrian troops and civilians. Last week Russia also accused the US of reducing its air strikes on ISIS in Iraq to allow the Takfiri terrorists to enter Syria and fight the Syrian army which is set to retake Deir ez-Zor.
Russia doubts US claims of war on terror
Russian military spokesperson Igor Konashenkov added that the continuing arrival of terrorists from Iraq raises serious questions about the anti-terrorist objectives of the US air force and the so-called 'international coalition'."
Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.
Therefore the alleged US-backed move to ‘retake’ Raqqa from ISIS while providing a safe passage to terrorists cannot be construed as war on terror. Instead of annihilating ISIS terrorists the US is transferring them to other parts of Syria with some sources saying Washington is moving some top ISIS commanders to as far as Afghanistan. In any case, US President Donald Trump is claiming to fight ISIS in Syria while he is also on record as saying his predecessor, Barack Obama, was the founder of the notorious terrorist group.
US control of Raqqa after ISIS
The head of US Central Command, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, told Senate lawmakers in March that American forces would be required ‘stabilize’ the region once ISIS fighters are flushed from Raqqa.
This statement implies that the US-backed militias would be handed control of Raqqa and the surrounding area. Such a move will affect negatively on Syrian sovereignty and create a new crisis in the country just as it completes the ejection of ISIS terrorists
The Kurdish YPG militia, which dominates the SDF, says the group has already appointed a council to take over the strategic Syrian city.
Before the SDF launched its offensive on Raqqa, it announced the formation of the Raqqa Civilian Council (RCC) to take over after ISIS was expelled.
YPG is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party – PYD- that has taken over most of northeastern Syria and is the main US ally on the ground in the region.
Balkanization of West Asia
The US is pursuing a nefarious balkanization policy of the West Asia region in its alleged war on ISIS in Syria. Sources say SDF sponsored model for Raqqa aims to ensure their control over the territories they capture from ISIS and therefore exclude the central government on Damascus from governing the region. Any attempt by Damascus to establish its control on Raqqa is expected to ignite clashes between Syrian forces and US-backed militants thus further destabilizing the country.
The US scheme in Raqqa will face stiff resistance from neighboring Turkey due to the Kurds’ dominant presence in the SDF. Ankara will not be comfortable to see a Kurdish-majority group gain governing power over a region near its border, as the Turkish government has long considered Syrian Kurdish militias, including those backed by the US, to be terrorists.
Therefore US plans on Raqqa are not aimed at bringing peace to Syria as it is clear Washington is using Kurds in its plan to dismember Syria and establish a separate Kurdish region. The US and the Israeli regime are pursuing a plan to break up regional countries into small, weak and easily manipulated territories and Raqqa is the latest stage of the puzzle.
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