US Gambit: How Daesh Could Be Replaced for Continuation of Syrian War

© REUTERS / Erik De CastroA flag of Islamic State militants is pictured above a destroyed house near the Clock Square in Raqqa, Syria October 18, 2017
A flag of Islamic State militants is pictured above a destroyed house near the Clock Square in Raqqa, Syria October 18, 2017 - Sputnik International
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With Syria making big strides toward victory and terrorists controlling ever-diminishing areas in the country, Muhammed Kheir al-Akkam, professor of international relations at the University of Damascus, told Sputnik how the US may meddle in the Kurdish issue.

"The US does not want the end of the Syrian war until their goals are achieved. Their main tool for the war in Syria, called Daesh, is living out their last days. So now they are switching to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which have to do what Daesh failed to fulfil," Syrian political analyst Muhammed Kheir al-Akkam said.

According to him, "the US wants to extend the war in Syria as long as possible to implement its plans in the region."

Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces dance along a street in Raqqa, Syria October 18, 2017. - Sputnik International
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"Russia is trying to put an end to this war and along with the Syrians is seeking a peaceful solution. The Americans do not do it, paying lip-service to fighting terrorism; in fact, they are financing both Daesh and the SDF," al-Akkam added.

He pointed out that "what we see in Raqqa is a fully coordinated move by the US to replace Daesh with the SDF."

"We might ask why the US is not fighting the al-Nusra Front and other similar organizations? The answer is simple: because the US supports them," he said.

© AP Photo / Syrian Democratic Forces Fighters from the SDF. (File)
Fighters from the SDF. (File) - Sputnik International
Fighters from the SDF. (File)

He recalled that the SDF carries out ethnic cleansing in Raqqa and discriminates against some Syrian peoples in the occupied territories, which is why the SDF cannot be called "democratic" or "Syrian".

"The Syrian Kurds need to remember that the Americans will betray them as soon as their interests diverge, something that occurred to Masoud Barzani after Iraqi Kurds failed to secede from Baghdad," al-Akkam said.

According to him, "the Syrian Kurds also should bear in mind that their strength depends on Syria's unity."

Al-Akkam added that the seventh round of the Syrian peace talks in Astana in many respects continued the course of the talks' sixth round. At the same time, it is worth noting that there has been a new turn, according to him.

This July 30, 2017 photo, shows an oil field controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Rmeilan, Hassakeh province, northeast Syria. - Sputnik International
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During the Astana talks, the sides managed to resolve many issues related to the military situation in Syria, something that he said the parties failed to do in Geneva.

In Astana, the sides, in particular, agreed on exchanging prisoners and the holding of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, where Syria's integrity will be high on the agenda.

"As for the Syrian opposition groups that will not attend the Sochi congress, they are dealing with the interests of those who finance their activities rather than those of the Syrian people," al-Akkam concluded.

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