The seize of Damascus by militants was a “basic act of justice,” the outgoing US president claims
Outgoing US President Joe Biden has claimed credit score for the autumn of Damascus to a coalition of armed teams, together with jihadists from Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS). Washington had weakened the supporters of former President Bashar Assad, the American chief has stated.
The results of the lightning offensive of anti-government militants previously two weeks was a “basic act of justice” and a “second of historic alternative for the long-suffering residents of Syria,” Biden stated in a video deal with from the White Home on Sunday.
“For years, the primary backers of Assad have been Iran, [the Lebanese-based militant movement] Hezbollah, and Russia. However during the last week, their assist collapsed, all three of them. As a result of all three of them are far weaker immediately than they have been once I took workplace,” Biden stated.
Washington has been pushing for the ouster of Assad since 2011, when mass protests spiraled right into a devastating civil warfare, by which foreign-armed Islamists emerged as dominant gamers amongst anti-government forces. HTS, one of many teams that took over Damascus on Sunday, is previously often known as Jabhat al-Nusra, a Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate. The warfare was exacerbated additional in 2014 when the terrorist group Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS) rose as a regional risk amid the collapse of safety in Syria.
In his speech, Biden highlighted the sanctions on Syria, and the US navy presence within the nation and its assist for Kurdish militias within the northeast, which denied Damascus entry to fertile lands and oil fields beneath their management. The US has additionally supported Israel in its navy campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon and its direct confrontation with Iran, Biden added.
“Our method has shifted the steadiness of energy within the Center East,” Biden stated, mirroring related remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
By this mix of assist of our companions, sanctions, diplomacy, and focused navy drive the place essential, we now see new alternatives opening up for the folks of Syria and for all the area.
The US president claimed that Washington was clear-eyed about HTS and their “grim document of terrorism and human proper abuses.” Washington will “assess not simply their phrases, however their actions,” he acknowledged. Biden’s nationwide safety adviser, Jake Sullivan, stated on Sunday that HTS’ historical past of terrorism and atrocities is a priority for the US.
Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the present chief of HTC, has had a $10 million bounty posted on his head by the US since 2013. In accordance with the US authorities, the fighters he led have been liable for kidnappings and massacres of civilians.
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