The US-led anti-ISIS coalition is building a new military base in Syria’s northern province of Raqqa, The New Arab reported, citing a source close to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The US backs the SDF and keeps about 900 troops in eastern Syria, allowing the US to control about one-third of Syria’s territory. The report said there are currently about 24 US-led military sites spread throughout eastern Syria.
While the US says it’s in Syria to fight ISIS, the presence is part of Washington’s economic war against Damascus, which includes crippling economic sanctions. ISIS also holds no significant territory, and the Syrian government and its allies would continue to fight the remnants of the terror group if the US withdrew.
But the construction of a new base demonstrates the US plans to continue the occupation indefinitely. In March, the House voted down a resolution introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) that would have ordered President Biden to withdraw from Syria. The legislation failed in a vote of 103-321, with 56 Democrats and 47 Republicans voting in favor of the bill.
The House also recently voted to maintain sanctions on Syria after an earthquake killed thousands of Syrians. Only two members of Congress voted against the legislation.
The US could come under pressure to withdraw from Syria and lift sanctions on the country as more and more regional countries are normalizing ties with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Saudi Arabia spearheaded an effort to bring Syria back into the Arab League despite US objection.
With Russia’s massively boosted armaments production, it’s not hard to imagine the geopolitical shoe on the other foot. Could you imagine a campaign spearheaded by China, Russia, and Iran to arm Syria to the teeth with the latest hardware so they can bleed America dry and defeat it?
Yes. And I hope for it to happen. Though I prefer locking up US oligarchs and bringing the troops home.
The US has oligarchs, just as Russia does.
However, our wars are neocon adventures of ideologes who have captured the institutions of government.
The oligarchs are a separate problem here, just as they are in Russia. The Russian side of the war is done despite their oligarchs, not because of them, same as here.
So by all means do something about the oligarchs, but first of all we will need to prosecute and punish the war criminals like Nuland and Blinken (Biden seems to be one of them too, but his name symbolizes more too in the whole anti-Trump world).
Why are we in Syria to begin with? Don’t the Syrians know that they’re living on someone else’s land, Greater Israel from the Nile to the Euphrates? We are completely at Israel’s beck and call. This will not end well for the USA and Israel.
Does anyone here believe that Ukraine IS NOT being wrecked…????
Could you imagine a campaign spearheaded by China, Russia, and Iran to arm Syria to the teeth with the latest hardware so they can bleed America dry and defeat it?
Can you imagine being so sad you have to envision a Superfriends team-up scenario featuring three countries with rap sheets that could stretch from here to the moon, but are somehow acting as heroes in your fantastical scenario?
Can you also imagine being so sad that you’re chomping at the bit for the “latest hardware,” presumably military hardware, on a discussion section for a site called Antiwar?
No need to imagine, my friend. Just re-read your post.
Don’t forget the Israeli hand in any Syria scenario, though it is probably somewhat blunted by the shifting great power fact that Russian has gained superiority in the air and sea with its hypersonics…
I think that a campaign spearheaded by China, Russia, and Iran to arm Syria to the teeth with the latest hardware so they can bleed America dry and defeat it would draw in Israel and be dangerous & perhaps messy. It really doesn’t matter. What we have now in Ukraine is akin to a wounded animal, lashing out at whoever or whatever is within reach. Powerless to control the narrative and unable to live in peace with the situation they created. We are watching the death throes of a country that’s been unable to save itself from civil war and castrophe. Bring on the looters…!!!!!
ISIS holds NO territory in Syria or anywhere else.
ISIS no longer exists. It lost its political and financial backing by mid 2017. The residual fighting by lical groups effectivellyvended aftervfall of Raqqa.
SDF is Kurdish US paid contractors. Kurds are only a small minority in areas all occupied by US. A difficult situation has been created by having Kurdish militia control Syrian Arab population — effectively under occupation by US and Kurds against their will.
I believe that US and Kurds are not occupying one third of Syria. That was the case prior to Trump withdrawal of bulk of US force from Syria.
You say, “I believe that US and Kurds are not occupying one third of Syria. That was the case prior to Trump withdrawal of bulk of US force from Syria.” First, US military does in fact illegally occupy one third of Syria. If you try to walk on the land, they’ll shoot you. US continues to steal oil from that Syrian land and prohibits starving Syrians from growing crops on the land. Second, there was never a “Trump withdrawal of bulk of US force from Syria.” Never. He did claim a few times that he was going to order a withdrawal, but no withdrawal ever happened. The Pentagon totally ignored Trump for 4 years. He’d occasionally pretend he had authority by saying he’ll order this or that, but that was just for show. If he cared about the country as he claims to, he should’ve resigned, and told his voters that US presidents are powerless. But instead he was happy to waste 4 yrs sitting there. Why do you think media is selling him 24/7 as sure bet for 2024 GOP nomination? Answer: Because they have no fear of him, saw him fold like a rag doll for 4 yrs, perfectly happy to drop bombs and assassinate people like a good dog when they want him to.
An illegal occupation that just never seems to inspire any outrage in western mainly white minority world media.
Andrew, U sound as if you are a racist, yes?
Of course the USA has no plans to leave anywhere. This time perhaps it will be forced to go.
Why am I not surprised….:( USA on road to ruin and it will be horrific, but maybe light at the end of that tunnel. ?
Nobody wants the Kurds so Biden’s State Department has decided we will continue to take care of them and Europe’s oil.
Do not forget why we are there at the end of this.
No oil and we would not care all that much.
Syrian oil has to be the most expensive oil on the planet.
It sure is but one can share that about all of the Middle east oil it seems.
Remove that region’s ability to drive world prices and things might be different in a lot of ways in a lot of places.
google = Data released by Syria’s Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources showed that in the first half of 2022, US forces allegedly stole more than 80 percent of Syria’s oil resources every day as the country’s average daily oil production can reach 80,000 barrels and 66,000 barrels were taken by the US and US-backed opposition …Sep 6, 2022
The US is bankrupt.
Syria should give the US one month to vacate the country, announcing that any further security work needed against ISIS will be handled by themselves. If the US does not leave in a month, they should be seen as uninvited guests and ignored and the area calmly reoccupied by Syrian army forces, ignoring any US forces unless fired upon.
syrian military is busy enough. they don’t need to be committing suicide by attacking us
Not attacking anyone … just taking their land. US soldiers can sit there like idiots while work gets done around them.
Let’s see… SDF supports the US occupation in Syria but at the same time is suffering from the US crippling sanctions…! Spineless SDF…!
SHAME ON YOU DAVE DECAMP…!!!!!! For not mentioning the theft of Syrian oil among the other provocations.. Perhaps the cozy hook-up with U.S. News & Reports adds disincentive to your lists of sins the U.S, perpetrates on the Syrians. Is antiwar.c-m trying to merge in line with MSN…??? Or am I becoming unfairly critical???
Yes, SHAME on Dave for not including, in each and every news report, whatever one reader happens to be thinking about at the moment.
There is no “cozy hook-up” with US News & World Report. They publish news articles that we use as sources (just like a great many other places).
Please forgive him… He just forgot…!
At least U.S. isn’t pretending to partition Syria.
It’s already partitioned…!
So thw WAR CRIMINALS arn`t going then , and the UN looks the other way
For ‘f’ sakes America?
Get the Hell out of the Middle East and mind your own goddamned business.
The US built the world’s largest Embassy in the Green Zone of Iraq, just in time to abandon it. It did much the same shortly after in Kabul.
Perhaps this base building is just the final flowering of failure, in its moment of collapse. That also describes the best of the British Empire construction of grand buildings in India in the early 20th Century.
If the US has abandoned its embassy in Iraq, someone should probably let the employees there know. And cut off their paychecks.
A newly elected administration in Washington next year might change things. The present situation is untenable in the long run.
Mr. DeCamp writes: “The US-led anti-ISIS coalition is building a new military base in Syria’s northern province of Raqqa, The New Arab reported, citing a source close to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).”…
Mr. DeCamp, there is no such thing as “the US-led anti-ISIS coalition.” First, ISIS doesn’t exist. To the extent it ever did exist, it was created by US taxpayers. Second, whatever is happening in Syria is being carried out strictly by US taxpayers. There’s no self-sustaining anti-ISIS “coalition.” Certainly such is written about and allegedly raises money, but it’s only to impoverish and enslave US taxpayers. Third, there’s no such thing as “the Kurdish-led” SDF, since this alleged group was invented and remains funded by US taxpayers. Fourth, wow, heavy, a “source close to” an imaginary group funded by US taxpayers for the purpose of impoverishing US taxpayers lets us in on an inside tip.
Further, as to the SDF, the US doesn’t “back” the SDF, it is the SDF.
Continuing, you state that US “controls about one-third of Syria’s territory.”
“Controls?” That’s a mighty kind, hazy word to blow smoke over what in reality is utterly unprovoked criminal annexation enforced by US military to include continuous theft of the distant country’s oil supply. As you know, US military prevents starving Syrians from growing crops on the land. If you set foot on the land, US personnel will shoot you.
When you have unlimited access to US tax dollars, you can starve and flatten the world.
Later in your article, for those who are still reading, you say US plans to continue the “occupation” indefinitely. It must’ve been hard for you to use the word “occupation.” It’s quite a bit more specific than saying US “controls” the area.
I noticed your source is “The New Arab.” I was curious so I looked it up. The New Arab is described as a “London-based” publication started and owned by a Qatari business man who’d previously worked at BBC for 5 years.