A tactical vehicle brandishing a U.S. flag is used during a security patrol near Manbij, Syria, on June 24. The U.S. has had to defend its local allies in Syria not only from ISIS, but from rebels, Turkey and pro-Syrian government forces as well. Staff Sergeant Timothy R. Koster/U.S. Army/Department of Defense
Newsweek: What Does U.S. Even Want in Syria? Russia Asks, Says Americans Must Be Just as Confused
Russia has called into question the U.S. strategy in Syria, claiming that it contained mixed messages and sought contradictory goals potentially aimed at prolonging instability.
While Russia and the U.S. are both involved in battling jihadis in Syria, they do so in partnership with different local factions and support different outcomes for the country's seven-year civil war. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu argued Wednesday that the U.S. had no legal mandate to be in Syria and that it had shifted its rhetoric over the years to justify its prolonged presence.
"According to what is often heard in statements made to the U.S. media by representatives of Congress and by experts from the United States government to clarify the American strategy in Syria, you cannot grasp its essence, not only in our country," Shoigu said in an interview with Italy's Il Giornale newspaper.
"In recent years, theories of the illegal presence, not only from the point of view of international law but also of American law, of the U.S. military contingent in Syria have been constantly evolving," he added.
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WNU Editor: Many Americans do not understand why the U.S. is in Syria, and quite frankly they are not alone, many Russians do not understand why Russia is in Syria.
Update: Russia learns that having permanent friends in the Middle East is mission impossible .... Russia, Caught Between Iran and Israel's War in Syria, Looks for Allies on Both Sides (Newsweek).
