US: ISIS will not be allowed to exploit the situation in Syria

WASHINGTON: The United States (US) Department of State Spokesperson, Matthew Miller, firmly stated that the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) will not be allowed to take advantage of the unstable, precarious situation in Syria to stage another comeback on Monday. 

Speaking during a press briefing in Washington shortly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year-long regime in Syria, Miller stated that the United States supported a peaceful transition of power in Syria.

Read more: US races to find captive journalist Austin Tice after Syria regime collapse

He outlined that the new government needed to be a representative and accountable one chosen through an ‘inclusive’ process by the Syrians, in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254. 

The spokesperson said that Washington wanted to see respect for human rights, the resumption of key service and the protection of marginalised population during the transitional stage.

Miller also mentioned that the US was taking ‘intensive’ efforts to find and bring home a US journalist, Austin Tice, who went missing 12 years ago while covering the Syrian Civil War.

The US Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Roger Carstens, is currently in Beirut, Lebanon pressing all parties in the region to support rescuing the journalist.

He also mentioned that the US will continue to support Syria’s neighbours, and protect US forces against any threats from within Syria during this period.

Regarding the status of Russian mortuary bases in Syria, the US did not have any specific information  

However, the US government suspected that Russia has a lot to “answer for” in terms of its support for Assad regime and its own actions in the country.

Ultimately, the future of the Russian facilities was a decision for the Syrians to make,

Miller warned that the US was “closely mentoring”  the situation in Syria and the actions of various groups, including the Hay’at Tahria al-Sham (HTS),  the group that toppled the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad.

Read more: Qatar opens contacts with HTS group in Syria

Any changes to US sanctions would be based on the actions taken by the entities, not on any specific review process at this time, however.

Mathew Miller also acknowledged Russia’s influence and action in Syria over the past 10-12 years, which he described as “disastrous”.

Regarding Israel’s recent actions in the occupied Golan Heights, Miller stated Washington saw this as a ‘temporary’ measure taken in response to the withdrawal of Syrian forces from the area.

The spokesperson claimed that Assad’s forces withdrawing created a vacuum that could be filled by terrorist groups.

He stated that the US wanted to see the 1974 disengagement agreement between Israel and Syria fully upheld. 

The US did not have the legal ability to engage with designated terrorist organisations, including through intermediaries, when it is in the US interest to do so, Miller argued.

Therefore, the US administration has been engaging with various groups on the ground in Syria in recent days, including through the Secretary of State.

However, Miller refused to provide details on the specific groups his government is dealing with, or the nature of those communications.

Read more: Israel tells UN: action in Golan Heights ‘limited, temporary’

Miller stated that Washington focused on the need for de-escalation and a political reconciliation process in Syria that serves the interests of the Syrians, and not any particular group.

Miller conceded that Syria had not been a major public focus in recent years, but argued that this did not reflect on the ongoing policy work and efforts to weaken Assad’s backers, such as Russia and Iran.