US general makes surprise visit to Syrian region liberated from ISIS
At the UN last month, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Muallem warned the US over its presence in the country
Gen Joseph Votel, the top US commander in the Middle East, on Monday made an unannounced visit to a part of Syria liberated from ISIS militants last year.
Gen Votel, who leads US Central Command, visited Al Tanf outpost in southern Syria and met American troops. He is the highest ranking commander to visit the base.
The US and its allies, the Syrian Democratic Forces, drove ISIS from the area near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders early last year.
The commander pressed the need for a continued US presence in Syria to root out remaining ISIS fighters and act as a counter-balance to Iran’s activity in the country.
Gen Votel said Al Tanf outpost still served an important purpose, even though US and coalition troops had “largely eliminated” ISIS from the area.
But he said the overall mission had not shifted into a campaign to counter Iran. A Centcom official told The
National that Gen Votel’s visit highlighted the importance of Al Tanf in fighting ISIS and preventing its return.
“The US garrison supports 200 to 300 US and coalition troops training Syrian opposition forces to fight ISIS”, AP reported.
Nicholas Heras, of the Centre for a New American Security, told The National that Gen Votel’s visit was “meant to send a message that the US campaign against Daesh is not ending.
“It has just entering a new phase and the American base in Tanf is a key asset in that campaign,” he said.
Mr Heras said it was also “a signal to Russia, Iran and [Syrian President Bashar Al Assad] that the US has no intention to evacuate from any of the bases that it has established in Syria and that Assad and his allies best get used to it”.
At the United Nations last month, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Muallem warned the US over its presence in the country.
“We are committed to continuing the holy battle until we clear the entire territory of Syria of terrorist groups and illegal foreign presence,” Mr Al Muallem said.
He tied the US presence in eastern Syria to renewed activity by ISIS, claiming that the co-ordinated terrorist attacks on Sweida in July were carried out by fighters who came from Al Tanf.
ISIS killed more than 250 people in that attack, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Gen Votel earlier said that the US presence played “an indirect role in supporting our broader pressure campaign against Iran”.