Jwan Shekaki
The adjective “concerned” – sometimes preceded by the adverb “deeply” – is the most usable term by the US officials regarding any incident of insecurity, chaos, and instability in Northeast Syria, a region that is administratively run by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), politically by the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), and militarily by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Since its formation in 2015 to provide support for the SDF in its campaign to eliminate the so-called Caliphate of ISIS, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS led by the United States (US) has kept distancing itself from the further threats and attacks – Turkey as an example – that targets the AANES areas claiming the lives of hundreds and thousands of both civilians, including women and children, and military personnel, i.e. SDF fighters.
Traditionally, the AANES-held areas have been a direct target for the Turkish aggressions for years, whether by ground invasions supported by air forces like the invasion and then the occupation of Afrin, Tel Abyad, and Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), or by ongoing flying of drones that have kept striking cars and claiming the lives of the people of Northeast Syria – mainly the Kurds – civilians and military men.
The US, that led the Global Coalition and has been engaging in the enduring defeat of ISIS and ensuring stability in the region, used to keep itself away from all instability made by Turkey under the pretext that their presence in the region is restricted to only defeating ISIS although Turkish aggressions have negatively affected the war against ISIS.
It is important to move back to the previous years when the US forces mediated the so-called “Security Mechanism” ceasefire agreement between the SDF and Turkey in 2019, but Turkey has not honored the agreement and discarded it. However, the US did nothing under the pretext of NATO alliance except for releasing its traditional statements in which it expressed its “concern and calling for ceasefire.”
Also, despite Russian continued harassment of US drones over Syria, the latter showed no reactions justifying that that there is a de-confliction line between the military of the two countries in Syria.
Anyway, let us convince ourselves of the existence of strategic alliance and partnership between the US and Turkey, and the US and Russia, and let it be more powerful than any other parties or positions on the Syrian territory, but what about the historical enemy of the US – Iran?
Now, it is Iran’s turn to emerge and strike the AANES-held areas from the south. For the seventh day in a row, gunmen affiliated to Iran and the Syrian regime have infiltrated from the regime-held areas in the west of the Euphrates River to the east and invaded the villages located on the eastern bank of the river and looted the public and private properties.
Seven days have passed on the vandalism made by gunmen under the supervision of Iran – its traditional enemy – but the US did nothing except for two timid positions through two statements; one by the CJTFOIR and the other by the US Embassy in Syria, as if it makes fun of the SDF “partner of defeating ISIS.”
Today, a protracted war has been erupted, but not by Turkey in the north, this time by Iran and the Syrian regime in the south – south of AANES-held region. In return, the SDF announced Operation Security Reinforcement to correct the situation in Deir ez-Zor with the support of the US-led Global Coalition, but in fact the US and its coalition have stood idly by as if Iran and the Syrian regime are its closest ally like Turkey.
To save its face, the US has to take a step as the situation is open to explosiveness because the opponents of the SDF-US partnership are starving to make benefit of any rift. Syrian-Iranian alliance wants the US troops out of Northeast Syria even if it leads to chaos.
In fact, time has come for the US to re-examine its policy in Syria which is described as a “failed one” most of the time. More precisely, in Northeast Syria, the US needs to change the level of its partnership with the SDF and get itself out of the framework of the enduring defeat of ISIS. In other words, the US should and, may be must, move its partnership with the SDF from the tactical level to the strategic one.
The situation is that Iranian war against American interests in Northeast Syria has started, the villages were invaded, the properties and facilities were looted and vandalized, casualties were reported, and chaos was spread. The big question is: What is the US waiting for? What if the Operation Security Reinforcement fails and the SDF loses Deir ez-Zor? The US has to answer.