By Payman Yazdani

U.S. multifaceted objectives in Syria

February 21, 2018 - 9:43

TEHRAN - Just weeks after failure of the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, the United States announced that it is going to create a security belt from Erbil to the Mediterranean under the pretext of “preventing the return of ISIL.”

To this end, Washington announced the U.S.-led coalition is working with its Syrian militia allies to set up a new border force of 30,000 personnel, a move that has added to Turkish anger over U.S. support for Kurdish-dominated forces in Syria.  

More than 50 percent of the mentioned forces would be Syrian Kurd militia. Turkey says they are offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party terrorist group, PKK, and considers them a major threat to its security, while Washington finds them their most effective ally on the ground in Syria.

Supporting Kurdish separatist forces in Northern Syria, the U.S. is after its own goals in the country and region. Some of the objectives seem to be:
-To prolong the conflicts and crises in Syria in order to pave the way for the disintegration of the country which can be a beginning of more such breakdown in the region, while the U.S. hypocritically defends the territorial integrity of the Syria and Iraq. Indeed, some reports suggest that the U.S. wants bases and a permanent presence in eastern Syria as a way to confront Iran. Moreover, it has been suggested that the U.S. has sheltered some ISIL terrorists for further attacks on the Assad government in Syria.

- Any boost to the U.S. military bases will decrease U.S. dependence on Syria by building on Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.
- To inflict pressure and contain Turkey as well as Iran, Iraq and Syria by playing the Kurdish card.
-To provide Tel Aviv with yet more support by destabilizing regional security.
-To dominate the energy rich areas of Syria and future energy routes.
Turkey began its military operation in Afrin to thwart some parts of the U.S. plots.
Facing obstacles to its goals in the region because of cooperation between Russia and regional countries including Iran and Turkey, the U.S. state secretary Rex Tillerson arrived in Turkey with new promises.
The regional countries should learn lessons from the past that the U.S. is not a trustworthy ally and it is just following up its own geopolitical ambitions with empty promises and support from allies.
The Turkish President in April 2017 in an interview with Aljazeera said, "With President Obama, we had a mutual agreement about the PKK - but Obama deceived us. I don't believe the Trump administration will do the same.” But during Trump’s presidency not only did the U.S. not relieve Turkey’s concerns, but it also intensified its support to the Syrian Kurds.
The only way to foil the U.S. designs in the region, which are a direct threat to the all regional countries, is further close cooperation between Iran, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria with the help of Russia. We have been witnessing the fruits of this cooperation over the past several months, including foiling the Erbil independence referendum and creating de-escalation zones in Syria.
It is noteworthy that the U.S., in line with Samuel Huntington’s advice, is cooperating with other regional powers like Saudi Arabia to confront and weaken both Iran and Turkey.