THE WAY AHEAD IN SYRIA: With the defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq almost complete, and the caliphate collapsing in Syria, the U.S. says it will continue to back a coalition of Syrian fighters as it pursues ISIS remnants in the Middle Euphrates River Valley in Syria. “We continue to work by, with and through our partners to militarily defeat Daesh [ISIS], and we will continue our efforts until the Daesh threat is permanently removed,” Army Maj. Gen. James Jarrard, commander of the U.S.-led special operations task force, told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday. Jarrard praised what he called the phenomenal success of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a loose coalition that includes Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Yezidis, Armenians and Turkmen. “The coalition will continue our support to the SDF as they liberate the remainder of areas along the Euphrates River to the border with Iraq,” Jarrard said, indicating the U.S. plans to stay in Syria after the shooting stops. “Once we have successfully defeated Daesh, the coalition will continue to have a key role for enduring counter-VEO [violent extremist organization] efforts,” he said.
WHAT NEXT? The United States, unlike Russia, was not invited into Syria, which is still a sovereign nation with a functioning government headed by Bashar Assad. When ISIS is defeated, the U.S. will lack a legal basis to stay, so maneuvering is underway to ensure the Assad regime doesn’t turn its guns on the Syrian fighters who did the heavy lifting on the ground on America’s behalf.
