Pro-Syrian Partisans Unleash Revenge on US Occupation Troops - 6 Dead So Far
In Syria, US troops were attacked by guerrilla fighters. Six people died. Earlier, Donald Trump had already mentioned the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. However, CNN reported that the Pentagon plans to deploy more troops there.
Aleksey Konopko reports on the possible consequences.
Americans are suffering losses in Syria. On March 30th, a 6-vehicle military convoy was attacked near the Al-Shaddadah base. According to the sources, 6 people were killed, and 8 more were injured.
Semyon Pegov, a military correspondent: "Two IEDs exploded. They were planted by Syrian self-defense groups that are located on the territories controlled by the Kurds. They consider themselves pro-government groups, but they stand against the US military presence in Syria. They think it's absolutely illegal, which is true. There were no international resolutions that allowed the US presence in Syria".
It's a known fact that they've come without an invitation and fight without any sanctions from the local government. The US is in direct violation of international law. This isn't the first time, and not just in Syria.
Aleksandr Sladkov, a VGTRK military correspondent: "Damascus authorities didn't ask the US to come here. Is the legitimacy issue even an issue? In my opinion: Are they serious?"
It's hard to tell just how many US servicemembers are in Syria right now. We know of at least 2,000 soldiers and 2 bases. Besides Al-Shaddadah, where the convoy came from, there's also Al Tanf, located on the Jordanian border. According to Russia's Ministry of Defense, that's where terrorist groups rearm and prepare for battles. Americans were also present in Eastern Ghouta.
Aleksandr Sladkov, a VGTRK military correspondent: "One of the primary missions of this forward operating base was to incite the militants for an attack on Damascus before the presidential election in Russia, thus being an eyesore for Russia. We have plenty of examples. For instance, in August 1996, militants had made their way to Grozny. It was controlled by the government forces at that time. They took control of it. Following the same pattern, Americans tried to talk the militants into attacking Damascus from Eastern Ghouta. That's the way I see it".
Americans left Ghouta just before it was freed so that they could avoid suffering losses. Military personnel and instructors are constantly attacked. On March 30th, Syrian guerrilla fighters shelled another convoy near Al-Khafsa — 2 people died. On Monday night, the US Army's 92nd Brigade, stationed near Raqqa, was shelled by mortars.
Aleksey Leonkov, a military expert: "Here's a theory. The prisons that contained Syrian felons, and that were guarded by ISIS or Jabhat Al-Nusra, a lot of things were similar to the Iraqi prisons during the US invasion in Iraq. There are a lot of similarities. Since the opposition's instructors are US specialists, you can see the connection between these prisons and the methods used to apply pressure on the population, forcing them to accept the policies of ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra, which were enforced in parts of Syria at the time. Every Syrian knows what terrorists they're fighting. They're fighting the Syrian people".
It's even harder to estimate US losses. Private military companies are responsible for their contractors that get KIA. The Pentagon has nothing to do with it. However, businessmen are directly forbidden to fight for another country under US legislation. Another trick is foreign mercenaries. After 5 years in combat, they can apply for a green card. Of course, if they don't survive, they don't become US citizens.
Ivan Konovalov, a Director of the Strategic Affairs Center: "Syrian people start protesting, and it's expected because Americans have bet on only one ethnic group—the Kurds. This was a tremendous mistake. Because of this situation, they're enemies with the Turks now, and Syria isn't ready to accept the US' idea of peacemaking. This is why the Americans will definitely leave soon".
Donald Trump has also promised to leave Syria soon. The Pentagon is against it for now. However, although politicians aren't that scared of casualties and equipment losses, money is a whole different issue. In the beginning of this year, the US President had announced that the country had lost $7,000,000,000,000 in the Middle East. According to the American mentality, that's unforgivable.
Aleksey Konopko, Olga Alvukhina, Vesti.