The escalation of the conflict in Syria near the village of Harbat Hamo (east of the city of Kamyshly) with the participation of the US military was stopped thanks to the intervention of Russian officers. This was told by the head of the coordination center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Syrian Arab Republic, Major General Yakov Rezantsev.

Recall, on February 12, military personnel of the ATS government tried to stop the convoy of troops of the United States at a checkpoint. They refused to let in American soldiers, indicating that their route was not agreed. As Yakov Rezantsev specified, the US patrol deviated from the previously planned route by 3.5 km.

Nevertheless, the US military decided to continue moving, but the local population blocked their path. There was a conflict that resulted in shooting: the Americans opened fire on civilians who blocked the road. As a result of the incident, the teenager Faisal Khalid Muhammad died, another civilian was injured.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, after that, local residents staged an impromptu rally. After that, according to Yakov Rezantsev, the Americans turned to the Russian side with a request to help leave the vicinity of Harbat Hamo.

“(Americans. - RT ) asked to assist them in order to leave the village. To localize the conflict, Russian troops arrived in the area of ​​the incident. They reacted adequately to our actions and our recommendations, which were aimed at stabilizing the situation, ”Rezantsev explained.

Earlier, the head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the warring parties in the SAR, Yuri Borenkov, also said that the violence was stopped only thanks to the Russian military. Officers of the Russian Armed Forces were able to agree on the admission of the American convoy to the base point.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has given full responsibility for the incident to the United States, the head of the international coalition. According to Rezantsev, the tragic incident was the result of "unlawful actions by members of the international antiterrorist coalition."

  • Russian military police in the SAR
  • RIA News
  • © Mikhail Voskresensky

“Unwanted guests”

Meanwhile, the US refuses to take responsibility for the incident in the Harbat Hamo area. Coalition spokesman Colonel Miles Kaggins said US soldiers tried to defuse the situation, but allegedly opened fire on them with small arms and were forced to retaliate for defensive purposes. Kaggins did not mention the death of the Syrian youth and the intervention of Russian servicemen.

According to political analysts, the US behavior in this case is quite “traditional” - Washington is far from the first to want to admit the facts of the killing of civilians. In addition, the mention of assistance from the Russian Federation could destroy the picture of the "absolute superiority" of the American army that was established in the United States.

“Washington very often ignores even the obvious facts of reprisals against civilians and generally does not comment on inconvenient information about the activities of troops abroad. I think that the arrival of Russian officers to Harbat Hamo saved not so much Americans as civilians, ”Azhdar Kurtov, editor-in-chief of the journal“ Problems of National Strategy ”of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, explained in an interview with RT.

The American publication The New York Times, citing videos on social networks and unnamed Pentagon representatives, writes that civilians allegedly stoned US armored vehicles with stones and tried to set them on fire.

Experts do not exclude that the Syrians could really try to obstruct the movement of the American column, but mainly because the local population is tired of the illegitimate US military presence on its territory.

“We must not forget that the Americans are in Syria, bypassing international law. Civilians and Damascus have always considered them unwanted guests. The incident in Harbat Hamo and other similar incidents indicate that the discontent of the people of Syria can very easily spill over the edge. People are well aware that a country can become free only with the support of government troops, Russia and Iran, ”Kurtov emphasized.

Unfulfilled promise

Commenting on the incident near Harbat Hamo and the subsequent intervention of Russian troops, former US President’s special envoy to the international coalition Brett McGurk wrote on Twitter that American forces are now forced to move “along roads controlled by the Russians and the Syrian regime.”

In turn, The New York Times, citing US military and diplomatic officials, claims that Russia is actually squeezing United States troops from Syria. It is noted that Russian troops are increasingly clashing with Americans on the roads, and Russian helicopters fly too close to the positions of the United States military. Thus, Moscow allegedly violates the agreement with Washington.

So, Deputy Commander of the US Special Operations Forces, Vice Admiral Tim Shimanski, believes that Russian troops will continue to strengthen their presence in northeast Syria, including in areas patrolled by American soldiers and their allies.

  • The column of American troops in Syria
  • AFP
  • © Delil SOULEIMAN

In addition, Washington fears that after resolving the situation in Idlib, Moscow and Damascus will turn their attention to the northeast of the SAR, where American military facilities are located. Rising tensions could spill over into collisions, writes The New York Times. In early February, the American journal Foreign Policy, citing James U.S. Representative for the United Arab Emirates James Jeffrey, also reported a risk of confrontation between US and Russian forces.

From the point of view of Yuri Zinin, in this case, the media deliberately exaggerate in order to discredit Donald Trump's policy on Syria in anticipation of the presidential election. The expert emphasizes that Russia is not interested in the escalation of violence in the republic, and allegations of violation of bilateral agreements need official comments from Moscow and Washington.

“Democrats and the media under their control completely categorically criticize Trump’s actions and try to present the situation in Syria as a concession to Moscow and Damascus, an indicator of the president’s weakness. The situation in Syria does not really change in favor of the United States, but there are objective reasons for this, ”says Zinin.

According to him, Washington “loses in the SAR” primarily because of the military and diplomatic successes of Russia: unlike the United States, the Russian Federation does not impose its political values ​​and relies in its actions on the official government and the majority of Syrians.

According to U.S. media, there are currently about 500 United States soldiers in the SAR. At the same time, according to the Syrian radio station Sham FM, recently a convoy consisting of more than fifty American trucks transporting tanks, military equipment and engineering equipment arrived in Hasek province. Analysts believe that Washington intends to maintain a military presence in Syria, contrary to Trump's initial decision to withdraw troops.

Recall that in December 2018, the US president announced the completion of the U.S. military mission in the SAR in connection with the defeat of the IG *. In February 2019, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders explained that a limited “peacekeeping” contingent of 200 people should remain in the republic.

However, Trump's plans have changed: in the fall of 2019, he announced the need to “protect” oil fields. Then, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Mark Milli, said that 500-600 soldiers would be stationed in Syria.

In December, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with Phoenix Chinese TV channel that when assessing the scale of the US military presence in the republic, the number of employees of private military companies should be taken into account. According to him, in the SAR may be thousands of soldiers of American PMCs and several hundred soldiers.

Ajdar Kurtov recalled that the withdrawal of troops from Syria was the election promise of Trump. The analyst associates the revision of the plans with the pressure exerted on the White House by Democrats and the military elite. However, maintaining and strengthening the US military presence in the SAR increases the risks for American soldiers.

“Trump in fact did not fulfill his promise, and this is not surprising. The United States tends to delay the withdrawal of troops and reverse this process. In the case of Syria, Trump most likely lost to the Democrats and the Pentagon. However, the situation in the republic is developing in such a way that further military presence becomes toxic and dangerous for the Americans themselves, as it causes spontaneous outbursts of discontent among the local population, ”Kurtov concluded.

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