Syria - US Moves To Protect Al-Qaeda And ISIS in Daraa

The Syrian government and its ally plan to clean up the southwest region of Syria around the city of Daraa. Golan Heights is located in Syria's lifeline, between Damascus and Jordan and Jordan.

The operation was expected to start in a day or two, but the U.S. has now threatened to intervene. As the southwest Daraa governorate is infected with a large Islamic State (ISIS) group as well as al-Qaeda and associated groups the United States must be considered as protection for these terrorists.

On July 7 2017 The U.S, Russia and Jordan agreed to set up a de-escalation zone in southwest Syria. The parameters were not published and the implementation lagged. Russia had offered to let her military police supervise the zone but the U.S. rejected that. The opening of the M5 highway to Jordan which did not happen. The ceasefire in the region was broken several times. There is also an infighting between ISIS and al-Qaeda.

In November 2017, the Presidents of the United States and Russia agreed to a Memorandum of Principles which covered southwest Syria. The memorandum was not published.

The neo-conservatives at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) disliked the agreement. It headlined Southern Syria Deal Fails to Constrain Iran, al Qaeda. Israel had demanded that no group associated with Iran should come near the zone, but no search rule was agreed upon. ISW also noted:

Al Qaeda has exploited the 'de-escalation zone' to develop a new safe haven along the Syrian-Jordanian border.

Neither al-Qaeda nor the Islamic State are covered by the de-escalation and ceasefire agreement. UN Security Council resolutions 2249 and 2254 that all UN members were Al Qaeda, ISIS and individuals and groups associate with them. It calls upon UN member states "to eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Syria".

In December 2017 the U.S. stopped paying to "rebels" in the south west. Some of the groups, including al-Qaeda, receive money, weapons and fire support from Israel.

Over the last days Syrian helicopters have dropped leaflets over "rebel" hero towns in the western part of the rebel hero areas. They demand that the rebels give up fighting and reconciling with the Syrian government.

The Iranian ambassador to Jordan Mojtaba Ferdowsi-Pope-General declared that Iran has no role in any military operation in the south of Syria. He added:

Syrian government ask us, Iran wants leave the country. '

ISIS and al-Qaeda are independent of any de-escalation agreement. The UNSC resolutions even demand that. But the U.S. thinks different.

Last night the U.S. State Department published this threat:

The United States is concerned with reports of an impending Assad regime operation in southwestern Syria within the bounds of the de-escalation zone negotiated between the United States, Jordan, and the Russian Federation last year and reaffirmed between Presidents Trump and Putin at Da Nang, Vietnam in November. The United States remains committed to maintaining the stability of the southwest de-escalation zone and to the ceasefire underpinning it. So we caution the Syrian regime against any actions that risk broadening the conflict or jeopardize the ceasefire. As a guarantor of this de-escalation area with Russia and Jordan, the United States intends to take measures and appropriate measures in response to Assad regime violations.

Source: http://www.moonofalabama.org/