President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday the U.S. should not be involved in the
conflict in Syria, where rebel forces are threatening the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
“Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump said because Russia, an Assad ally, is tied up fighting a war with Ukraine it “seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for
years.”
If Russia were forced out of Syria, it “may actually be the best thing that can happen to them” because “there was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia,” Trump said.
Trump’s comments appeared to reflect his opposition to the presence of some 900 U.S. troops in Syria, mostly of them in the northeast, where they have backed a Syrian Kurd-led alliance in preventing a resurgence of Islamic State militants.
Trump announced in 2018 during his first term that he wanted to withdraw the U.S. troops because he said Islamic State was near defeat.
But he held off as advisers warned that a pullout would leave a void that would be filled by Iran and Russia.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for urgent efforts to prevent Syria from falling into the hands of “terrorist” rebels. Speaking at an event in Qatar, he said “It is inadmissible to allow the terrorist group to take control of the lands in violation of agreements which exist, starting with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” referring to the 2015 resolution advocating for a political solution and preserving Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity.
With reports indicating that Damascus is being encircled by rebel forces, time appears to be fast running out for the Assad regime.
With Reuters inputs
