Translated by Ollie Richardson
03:04:40
07/03/2018
russian.rt.com
The United States pays a salary to 10,000 representatives of the so-called vetted Syrian opposition. This is said in the justification to the budget of the US Department of Defence for 2019, the text of which was studied by RT. According to the document, fighters receive from $200 to $400 per month. Thus, by the end of 2018, the US plans to increase the number of sponsored representatives of the opposition to 65,000. In the documents it is specified that the salary is designated for the “active fight against ISIS”. However, Syria, Russia, and Turkey believe that Washington pursues its interests in the region under the cover of the anti-terrorist campaign. Earlier, the United States already spoke about its intention to create a “new army” in Syria. The material of RT focuses on who and for what the Americans will pay and what aims they pursue.
The US pays a salary to 10,000 representatives of the “vetted” Syrian opposition. This is said in the justification to the budget for 2019 of the US Department of Defence. According to the document, each “oppositionist” receives from the Pentagon about $200 to $400 allegedly for the fight against terrorists.
“The command structure of the US Armed Forces provides payments to vetted groups of the Syrian opposition that are actively fighting against ISIS. Currently 10,000 selected representatives of partner forces receive such payments. The amount of monthly individual payments totals from $200 to $400,” it is said in the document of the US Department of Defence.
In addition, as is reported in the document, it is planned to increase the number of sponsored representatives of the so-called vetted Syrian opposition to 60,000-65,000 by the end of the budgetary 2018 (on September 30th, 2018). 30,000 of them “will carry out current military operations against ISIS”, and 35,000 will perform tasks in the ranks of the internal security forces on the territories liberated from terrorists [the areas of the North East Syria occupied by America – ed]. According to the plans of the Pentagon, for every 1,000 Syrian citizens there will be 20 employees of the police.
A change in the activities of the “vetted” oppositionists
In addition, the document of the US Department of Defence explains the reasons why the American government should provide representatives of the so-called “vetted” Syrian opposition with a salary for the 2019 budgetary year, which will begin on October 1st, 2018. The Pentagon plans to reorient these fighters towards a new aim — security on the territories liberated from terrorists. The US Department of Defence asks to allocate $30 million as payment for them.
“After final completion of offensive operations against the physical caliphate of ISIS, the Department of Defence will move on to working to stabilise the situation, focusing efforts on supporting the internal security forces. Their representatives will receive payments as remuneration for their efforts aimed at ensuring security in the liberated territories and also preventing the return of ISIS and related groups,” it is said in the document.
However, “stabilising the situation” also doesn’t cancel the expenditure of the US on arming employees of the Syrian internal security forces. In the 2019 budgetary year it is planned to spend more than $47 million on arming them. As it is approved in the document, American advisers in Syria will “whenever possible” make sure that Syrian oppositionists use these weapons “only for relevant missions”.
The US’ plans to create so-called internal security forces on the territory of Syria became known at the beginning of this year. In January, the US-led international coalition reported about the creation of new “border security forces” in Syria. In this regard, work on retraining oppositional armed groups that are a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was started.
Meanwhile in the ranks of the Syrian Democratic Forces there are groups of Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) – oppositional to the lawful government of Syria. They were formed into a united “army” thanks to the United States, which since 2015 has given them financial support. They claim that the main goal of their activity is the fight against ISIS, however the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation documented cases where the Syrian Democratic Forces have attacked government troops.
The news about the creation of so-called “border security forces” in Syria under the US’ leadership caused discontent both in Syria and the adjoining to it Turkey. The authorities of Syria regarded such actions as an act of obvious aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State.
The statement made by the US-led international coalition was met especially sharply in Ankara. The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to destroy the so-called “border security forces”, having declared that these formations threaten the national security of the Republic of Turkey.
“Now near our borders America creates a terrorist army that threatens Turkey’s security. Our task is to strangle this army so that it isn’t born. If the US wants to establish cooperation with these wild creatures, then this is their business. But we won’t allow it,” stated the Turkish leader.
Later the President of Turkey also assumed that the presence of US military personnel in Syria can be directed against Turkey, Iran, and Russia.
“We are asked about when we will finish our operation in Syria. And you (America) have already left Afghanistan, Iraq? You say that ISIS isn’t present there anymore. Then why are you still there? It means that you have plans against Turkey, against Iran or, perhaps, against Russia,” declared the Turkish leader.
Fears for “military achievements”
According to the document of the US Department of Defence, without sponsoring the “vetted” opposition in Syria “ISIS will be revived”, and all of the US’ military “achievements” in the fight against militants in the territory will be in vain.
“If our partners don’t receive financing, ISIS militants will cause losses among the security forces and the forces of our partners, which will nullify the military achievements of the Pentagon in Syria,” it is emphasised in the document.
In a conversation with RT the associate professor of the department of political science of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation Gevorg Mirzayan noted that now the US is pursing two key aims on the territory of Syria.
“Now the immediate aim of the United States is to complicate the process of ending the Syrian civil war and to delay it. This is why the US support the Kurds, this is why they support all Anti-Assad forces in Syria. Their ultimate goal is to try to take control of a piece of Syria for a long period of time,” said the expert told.
In February the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation reported about the intentions of American military personnel to take “economic assets” in Syria that belong to the State. The Russian ministry said that on February 7th a Syrian pro-government militia unit carried out reconnaissance and research activities near the former oil refinery of Al-Isba. The purpose of this operation was to identify and destroy ISIS “sleeper cells”.
“While performing a task the militia was suddenly attacked by mortars and MLRS, then by helicopters of the US-led international coalition. As a result of the attack 25 Syrian militiamen received wounds,” it is said in the statement of the Ministry of Defence.
After negotiations between the Russian commandment and representatives of the coalition the American side declared that “the oil refinery is under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces and US military personnel”.
“At the same time, the incident once again demonstrated that the true aim of continuing the illegal presence of US forces in Syria is no longer to fight the international terrorist group ISIS, but to seize and retain under its control economic assets that belong only to the Syrian Arab Republic,” stressed the Russian Ministry.
Copyright © 2022. All Rights Reserved.