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Just when you thought our Syria policy could not get any worse, last week it did.
The US military twice attacked Syrian government forces from a military base it illegally occupies inside Syria. According to the Pentagon, the attacks on Syrian government-backed forces were "defensive" because the Syrian fighters were approaching a US self-declared "de-confliction" zone inside Syria. The Syrian forces were pursuing ISIS in the area, but the US attacked anyway.
The US is training yet another rebel group fighting from that base, located near the border of Iraq at al-Tanf, and it claims that Syrian government forces pose a threat to the US military presence there. But the Pentagon has forgotten one thing: it has no authority to be in Syria in the first place! Neither the US Congress nor the UN Security Council has authorized a US military presence inside Syria.
So what gives the Trump Administration the right to set up military bases on foreign soil without the permission of that government? Why are we violating the sovereignty of Syria and attacking its military as they are fighting ISIS? Why does Washington claim that its primary mission in Syria is to defeat ISIS while taking military actions that benefit ISIS?
The Pentagon issued a statement saying its presence in Syria is necessary because the Syrian government is not strong enough to defeat ISIS on its own. But the "de-escalation zones" agreed upon by the Syrians, Russians, Iranians, and Turks have led to a reduction in fighting and a possible end to the six-year war.
Even if true that the Syrian military is weakened, its weakness is due to six years of US-sponsored rebels fighting to overthrow it!
Comment: According to the analyst' judgement in the NSA report, the accusation of Russia hacking the election amounts to unfounded speculation, nor are there any examples of their alleged handy work from which to pick. More curious would be the exploration of motives and actions by the DNC, as perpetrated on Mr. Sanders and Mr. Trump, that continue to be camouflaged by a fake cover story as looming as 'Russia hacked the election'. The Score: Russian hack - zero. Subversive activity by the Democrats and their candidate - so far, unending.