Biden presents Plan for US help in Syria

Biden presents Plan for US help in Syria

President Joe Biden On Sunday, the extraordinary fall of the Assad regime in Syria described as "moment of risk" and "historical occasion" how the USA supports the region want.

biden talks about the situation in Syria

In his first essential statements since the strikingly fast advance of the rebels, which brought down the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, biden said in the White House. He announced that the United States carried out dozens of air strikes in Syria to prevent the return of ISIS.

historical opportunity for the Syrian population

"It is a moment of historical opportunity for the suffering people in Syria to build a better future for their proud country," said Biden in the Roosevelt Room. "However, it is also a moment of risk and uncertainty. While we all think about what is coming next, the United States will work with our partners and those involved in Syria to help them take this opportunity and cope with the risk."

commitment of the United States in the region

biden promised to support the neighboring countries of Syria during the transition and to protect the US personnel in their continued use against ISIS. The President announced that he would speak to his counterparts in the region in the coming days and that US officials will be sent to help on site.

The fighting of ISIS is a priority for the USA, explained Biden. He emphasized: "I am aware of the fact that ISIS will try to use every vacuum to restore its skills" and added drastically: "We will not allow this."

precise attacks on ISIS targets

biden mentioned that these efforts include securing detention centers in which ISIS fighters are recorded, as well as "precision attacks" in Syria that are directed against ISIS. In this context, US troops carried out dozens of air raids on Sunday and met more than 75 ISIS goals with air force resources such as B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter aircraft and A-10 aircraft, as reported by the US Central Command.

serious warning of terrorist groups

"There should be no doubt - we will not allow ISIS to re -form and benefit from the current situation in Syria. All organizations in Syria should know that we will take them into account if they work with ISIS in any way," General Erik Kurilla, commander of Centcom, explained in a statement.

reactions to the fall of Assad

The statements of bidges fall into a time when the designated President Donald Trump - who will take office in just more than six weeks - has requested a reserved approach to the conflict and had said on Saturday that the United States should not interfere. Early Sunday morning, when the rebel groups took Damascus, he explained that the fall of the regime showed the "weakened state" of Russia and Iran who supported Assad.

The escape of Assad

"Assad is gone. He fled his country. His protector, Russia, under the direction of Wladimir Putin, has no more interest in protecting him," wrote Trump in a contribution on social media.

Hope for a new Syrian government

biden promised to get involved with Syrian groups, while the country is working towards an "independent, sovereign ... new government that serves all Syrians." He added: "This process is determined by the people in Syria themselves."

monitoring of the situation and the rebels

In his comments, Biden warned that the United States will "remain vigilant" and to carefully observe the activities of the rebel groups. The key rebel group, which leads the advance, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was classified by the USA as a terrorist organization. A high-ranking US official announced CNN on Sunday that the United States believes that significant parts of HTS maintain close connections to ISIS.

commitment to the return of missing journalists

Biden also confirmed his commitment to bring free journalists Austin Tice, who has been recorded in Syria since 2012. "We remain committed to bringing him back to his family. We believe that he lives. We think we can get him back," said Biden.

When reporter asked him in the White House, Biden replied whether he would approved an operation to return Tice: "We want to get him out. We have to find out where he is."

hopes of the Tice

In an explanation of CNN, Tice's parents, Marc and Debra Tice, expressed their wish: "We expect to see Austin freely again. We ask everyone who can help Austin so that he can safely return to his family." On Friday, CNN reported that Debra Tice said her son "is well cared for and he is doing well" and referred to a "significant source that has already been checked in our government".

officials had contacted Syrian opposition powers regarding Austin Tice, hoping to learn more about his location. The FBI announced on Sunday that it continues to offer a reward of up to $ 1 million for information that can lead to a safe return.

This story has been updated with additional developments.