As Washington’s interests in Syria, where Daesh is wreaking havoc, are “diametrically opposed” to those of Moscow, Secretary of State John Kerry’s praise for Russia’s engagement against the Takfiris mean “exactly the opposite”, an analyst says.
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The US seeks “nothing short of the destruction” of the war-ravaged country by toppling the “legitimate, recognized government of Syria”, he added.
Kerry said a political transition would be a boon for everyone, allowing the Islamic State to be “eliminated within a matter of months”.
“I called on every NATO ally to step up support in the fight against Daesh (IS), striking at the organisation s core in Syria and Iraq”, Kerry said after a meeting of foreign ministers from the 28 NATO states in Brussels.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, centre left, stands with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left OSCE Parliamentary President Ilkka Kanerva, centre right, and OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors, right, as he joins fellow diplomats for a OSCE Ministerial Council group photo in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015.
In October, the United States announced it would change its policy with regards to putting American military on the ground in Syria by deploying about 50 special forces to assist US-backed moderate rebels in strategic matters.
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There would be further consultations between Turkish and US military authorities to ensure that the border could no longer be used to move “illegally transported oil”, a crucial source of funds for the militants, or “the passage of foreign fighters in one direction or another”, Mr Kerry said.
He was apparently referring to the spat caused by the downing of a Russian plane by Turkey.
That effort could involve a combination of air power and forces fighting on the ground in Syria, he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Moscow will consider possible retaliatory measures.
AP reported that he said Islamic State can be defeated within months of a ceasefire “between Syria’s government and moderate rebels”, urging at the same time “the world to come together behind a peace strategy recently hashed out by the United States, Russia and other countries”.
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The US launched Operation Inherent Resolve on November 15, forming a 17-country coalition against the Islamic State. “It’s focused on the potential of defense against anybody or anything that is a threat – including ISIL”, he said, using another name for the Islamic State.
