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Monday 3 August 2015 - 07:59

Obama authorizes airstrikes in Syria, raises risk of direct conflict with Assad

Story Code : 477654
A US F/A-18 fighter jet takes off for Iraq from the flight deck of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, in the Persian Gulf, Aug. 11, 2014.
A US F/A-18 fighter jet takes off for Iraq from the flight deck of the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, in the Persian Gulf, Aug. 11, 2014.
The new rules that the Pentagon recommended and Obama approved will apply only to military forces trained and equipped by the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
 
White House National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said the Obama administration has made clear it will “take the steps necessary to ensure that these forces could successfully carry out their mission.”
 
According to the report, the Pentagon would only conduct “offensive air operations” in Syria in support of the newly trained militants when they fight the ISIL terrorist group.
 
Last month, the US military announced that it would send its first batch of trained militants into Syria in the next several weeks to fight ISIL.
 
On Friday, the Pentagon used airstrikes for the first time to help defend its new force when the compound it was using in northern Syria came under attack.
 
The Journal cited US military officials as saying that the Pentagon-trained force has been explicitly directed not to conduct offensive operations against the military forces of the Syrian government.
 
“For offensive operations, it’s ISIS [ISIL] only. But if attacked, we’ll defend them against anyone who’s attacking them,” said a senior military official.
 
“We’re not looking to engage the regime, but we’ve made a commitment to help defend these people,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
 
The US has not yet used air power against the government force to defend its newly-trained force in Syria. The officials said “that day would never come” because it would ignite a direct conflict between Washington and Damascus.
 
They said they are confident to avoid a standoff with the government of Assad because it has not challenged US air operations in Syria over the last year.
 
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had said earlier that the administration planned to train 3,000 by the end of the year.
 
Analysts, however, say many of the US-trained militants could eventually find themselves on the side of the ISIL Takfiris against a common enemy on the ground — the Syrian government forces.
 
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. The United States and its regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside the country.
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