"Tricks to stay": in the Pentagon do not exclude the capture of areas of Syria by ISIS terrorists after the withdrawal of US troops

The terrorist group "Islamic State" * in the absence of constant opposition from the forces of the United States can regain lost territory. This is stated in the report of the Inspector General of the Pentagon on the progress of Operation Unshakable Resolve for the period from October to December 31, 2018.

“The ISIS can take advantage of the withdrawal of US troops to organize attacks on US troops. The group will try to present these events through the media controlled by it as its “victory”, the report states.

At the same time, it is noted that the terrorists continue their vigorous activity both in Syria and in Iraq. In this regard, the lack of pressure on the militants may lead to the fact that after a gap of six months to a year they will again begin to seize territories in the valley of the Euphrates.

"If the governments and local authorities in these countries (Syria and Iraq) do not properly undertake to solve the socio-economic and political problems of the local Sunnis, as well as to resolve intercommunal contradictions, the IG will most likely have opportunities to organize revenge and new attempts to establish control over certain areas, ”the document says.

Last week, the US Congress introduced a bill restricting the president’s ability to return troops from other states. One of the documents is called "Responsible withdrawal of troops from Syria." It says that the US military contingent in the SAR should be maintained at a rate of not less than 1,500 military personnel, and to implement a larger reduction, the leaders of the Pentagon, State Department and National Intelligence will have to convince congressmen of the correctness of this measure during the hearings.

“Although it’s very tempting to withdraw into the comfort and security of our own borders, we still have a lot of work left ... America is not a world gendarme, but we are the leaders of the free world,” said Mitch McConnell, leader of the republican majority in the upper house of congress.

Recall that the wording of the "world gendarme" head of the White House, Donald Trump used when visiting the American base in Iraq. According to him, the United States "should not get into a fight for every country in the world, often without receiving any compensation."

Recall that on December 19, 2018, the American leader announced his victory over the IS and the imminent withdrawal of American troops from Syria. At the same time, he later emphasized that neither the order nor the timing of the withdrawal of the military contingent had yet been designated, although the “caliphate” was only one step away from complete annihilation. At the same time, he noted that American troops could return to the SAR if necessary.

“We have very fast planes, we have very good cargo planes. We can come back very quickly, ”Trump said in an interview with CBS.

"Tricks to cover up the US desire to stay in Syria"

The publication of the Pentagon’s report has obvious goals, says Boris Dolgov, a leading researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to him, Washington is trying to justify its desire to preserve the military contingent on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.

“The conclusions themselves that ISIL can regain its territory, restore its influence during the year - if we talk about the essence of the report’s conclusions - then it will not be able to do this, since ISIS or affiliated groups in the territories controlled by the Syrian army simply do not . Their remnants operate on lands controlled either by the Western coalition at the head of the United States, or in the Idlib zone, for which Turkey is responsible. Without military pressure, ISIL can recover in the territories controlled by the American coalition or where other states are responsible, ”the expert said.

“The purpose of the publication is clear - to imagine the situation as such that the withdrawal of American troops could provoke an ISIS effort that you should not rush into withdrawing troops, or that part of the US military should be left. These are tricks to cover up the US desire to stay in Syria, ”Dolgov stressed in an interview with RT.

As an expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, Vladimir Bruter, added, the US authorities declare explanatory options in order to send troops to Syria in their own interests.

“I think that this publication is just needed in order to be able to influence the withdrawal of troops from the UAR. Yesterday, Trump stated this in an interview with CBS, that we both withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan, and, if necessary, we will bring them back. This publication is needed in order to keep the Pentagon and the White House free while making the following decisions. In any case, if the United States considers that the IG regains influence, they can say, we are returning our contingent. This is an option that allows Washington, without taking decisions now, to return to this topic in any of the following moments, ”the source said.

* “Islamic State” (IG, ISIL) - the organization is recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.