US Marines exercise with rebels in Syria
A rebel commander said on September 14 that his fighters were conducting military exercises with US Marines in southern Syria, a message he said was intended to send to Russia, Iran and the Syrian government.
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| A US military vehicle on the outskirts of Manbej city, Syria. Reuters |
The eight-day exercise, which ends this weekend, will be held at the Tanf base, a base for the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group, near Syria's borders with Jordan and Iraq, commander Muhanad al Talaa of the Pentagon-backed Maghawir al Thawra rebel group told Reuters.
“Exercises like this are important to help improve defense and combat capability,” Talaa said. The Pentagon confirmed the information and said it had notified Russia through “deconfliction” channels.
Russia and the Syrian government have repeatedly demanded that the US withdraw its troops from Tanf, where Washington has declared a 55-km “de-confliction” zone. Surrounded by desert, the base was established during the fight against IS (which once controlled large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq). Control of Tanf has long been a goal of the Syrian government and its allies Russia and Iran.
The above development occurred amid escalating US-Russia tensions in Syria due to both sides increasing their naval presence in the Mediterranean.
In addition, the government of President Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russia and Iran, is preparing to launch a full-scale offensive to retake Idlib province, the last stronghold of the rebels.
