By Denis Korkodinov
Donald Trump quickly changed his strategy in Syria. If earlier he argued that the US military presence in the region was due to the struggle against the Islamic State, now his main aim is to ensure control over Syrian oil fields. Such drastic changes can lead to the formation of a powerful anti-Trump opposition, the basis of which will be US troops.
The US president simply changed his mind about returning American soldiers home, saying that they should remain in Syria to protect oil wells. As a result, the military command was, to put it mildly, in a state of stupor. So, on the one hand, US troops remaining in the SAR do not have clear instructions on what they specifically need to do to ensure the safety of oil wells in Deir ez-Zor and Al-Hassak. On the other hand, the military command is not ready to assign additional functions to the contingent of American troops in Syria for fear that they will have to leave their places of deployment at any time as soon as Donald Trump makes a new decision.
The controversial decisions of the US president do raise a lot of questions. In particular, if the Russian troops intend to pass through the Syrian territory occupied by the Americans, will the US military prevent this? In addition, if the Syrian Arab Army wants to extend its control to the oil fields of Deir ez-Zor and Al-Hassaka, will the Americans shoot? Apparently, the answers to these questions are not even the US military command. Therefore, the American contingent in Syria can no longer do anything.
According to Donald Trump, securing control over Syrian oil fields constitutes justifiable compensation for US involvement in the fight against ISIS. At the same time, the American leader, apparently, is completely indifferent to the fact that this oil belongs to Syria, which has every right to recognize any force groups controlling the oil fields on the territory of the SAR as an occupying force.
For this reason, in the near future, the SAA may launch an attack on Deir ez-Zor and Al-Hassak, in connection with which Donald Trump may once again order the withdrawal of American troops from the zone of probable conflict. If such a scenario is realized, then this will cause great criticism among the US military towards the head of the White House. And then Donald Trump runs the risk of facing powerful opposition, formed mainly from US troops.
(The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of World Geostrategic Insights)
Image Source: THEGRAYZONE