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US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller speaking to reporters on December 10, 2024. Photo: AFP/screengrab
WASHINGTON DC - The United States on Tuesday said they have made it clear to all relevant parties in Syria that there should be “no direct conflict” between armed groups as escalations between various groups have intensified in recent weeks.
“I will just make clear our position, and it's what we have been engaged in diplomatic channels as well as military channels over the past few days, which is we have focused on ensuring the safety and security of respected military forces in northern Syria to ensure that there are no friendly fire incidents,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told Rudaw during a press briefing on Tuesday when asked about the latest attacks from the Syrian opposition militants on Kurdish forces.
Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched an offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northwestern region of Shahba late last month, controlling it days later. They also took over the Manbij city earlier this week which Kurdish fighters had liberated from the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2016.
They have also attacked the Tishreen Dam on the Euphrates River in the last two days, the head of the dam told Rudaw English on Tuesday, warning that it has gone out of service and could result in a “disaster.”
“We have long standing channels set up to do that, and we have made clear to all the relevant parties that we want to see is no direct conflict between the multitude of armed groups in various parts of the country. We want them all to respect civilians in the areas in which they operate, and we're making that clear to all of the parties,” Miller added.
The SDF said in a statement that they “successfully thwarted” attacks by Ankara-backed SNA militants on Qere Qozaq bridge, located on the strategic M4 highway, south of Kobane city in Aleppo province.
Syria’s civil war dramatically reignited late last month when a coalition of rebels led by the HTS launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army, seizing the northern city of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and culminating their victory by capturing the capital Damascus as rebels said Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule.
The question of whether the US will remove Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), from its terror list remains a significant topic. In response to Rudaw, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller addressed the issue.
"So we of course support accountability, but when it comes to moving forward, we're going to judge all the parties in Syria by their actions in the past, but also the actions that they take in the coming weeks and days," he said.
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