SYRIA UPDATE
Iraqi President: Solution to crisis in Syria through respecting decision of its people
Iraqi President Barham Salih said that the solution to the crisis in Syria is through respect for the decision of its people to determine the future of their country, emphasizing that the withdrawal of US forces from the Syrian territory should be a helping factor for settlement of the crisis.
According to a statement issued by the Iraqi President’s Office on Saturday, President Salih, during a phone call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said that the “Syrian people paid a heavy price as a result of terrorism, which committed the most heinous crimes in addition to the destructive foreign interventions,”
https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=154108
Panic Mod: U.S Proxies In al-Tanaf Deny Reality & Their Own Claims
In a sign of panic, Hammurabi’s Justice News denied that the US-led coalition is withdrawing from its base in the Syrian area of al-Tanaf and the 55km de-escalation zone around it. The pro-opposition blog added that the coalition dropped resupplies near the base on December 22.
“The coalition have dropped resupply near al-Tanaf to insure the commitment of the Revolutionary Commando Army and coalition forces in securing the civilians of 55km de-escalation zone,” Hammurabi’s Justice News said in a short report.
The blog’s report was a clearly propaganda stunt to manipulate the reality, as no one had claimed that the U.S. began withdrawing its forces from the al-Tanaf base. Furthermore, the report hints that the coalition is not planning to withdraw, which contradicts with recent statements by officials in the Pentagon and the Revolutionary Commando Army.
https://southfront.org/panic-mod-u-s-proxies-in-al-tanaf-deny-reality-their-own-claims/
US-Style “Troops Withdrawal”: Pentagon Plans To Keep Special Forces In Syria
The Pentagon is planning to use small units of Special Forces to carry out missions against ISIS inside Syria after withdrawing its troops from the country, the New York Times reported on December 22, citing U.S. officials.
Under the new plan, U.S. forces in Syria, which are estimated at 2,000 service members, will be redeployed to Iraq than “surge” into Syria to carry out special operations. The plan will also allow the Pentagon to continue its support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its aerial campaign against ISIS in Syria.
U.S. officials told the New York Times that the Pentagon will submit these plans to President Donald Trump before Secretary of Defense James Mattis leaves office in the end of February. Mattis resigned after he had allegedly clashed with Trump on several issues, including the decision to withdraw American troops from Syria.
The Pentagon has not commented on the New York Times’ report yet. However, Dana W. White, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, said on December 21 that the military “will continue working with our partners and allies to defeat ISIS wherever it operates.”
“The campaign against ISIS is not over,” White added, according to the New York Times.
https://southfront.org/us-style-troops-withdrawal-pentagon-plans-to-keep-special-forces-in-syria/
Military Situation In Syria On December 22, 2018 (Map Update)
Units of the Tiger Forces are being deployed on the western bank of the Euphrates;
US forces are reportedly preparting to evacuate from the al-Tanf base;
The Syrian Democratic Forces have asked France to establish a no-fly zone over northeastern Syria;
Artillery duels and clashes between the Syrian Army and militants continue in northern Hama.
https://southfront.org/military-situation-in-syria-on-december-22-2018-map-update/
US-made weapons, Israeli medicines left behind by terrorists found in Southern region
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https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=154082
Iraqi Hezbollah Is Ready To Protect Syrian Kurds After U.S. Withdraw
The spokesman added that the U.S. withdrawal was expected and revealed that Kata’ib’ Hezbollah has “continuous and intensive communications” with Kurdish commanders in northeastern Syria
“We have a full conception of what is going on in northern Syria, including U.S. movements,” Jafar al-Husseini said during the interview.
According to al-Husseini, the U.S. is planning to hand over its role in Syria to Saudi Arabia and UAE. Both countries are already funding the US-led coalition operations against ISIS.
“We’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Let the other people take care of it now.” U.S. President Donald Trump said last March.
https://southfront.org/iraqi-hezbollah-is-ready-to-protect-syrian-kurds-after-u-s-withdraw/