Washington, December 8: As Rebel forces claimed taking control of the Daraa city in southwestern Syria, inching closer to the capital Damascus and escalating threat to the over two decade-long leadership of President Bashar al-Assad, US President-elect Donald Trump asserted that this is not America's fight and the US should have "nothing to do with it."
The rebels are battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces from two directions; the north and the south, in an attempt to close in on Damascus. Daraa is where the Syrian uprising started in 2011, CNN reported.
"Opposition fighters in Syria, in an unprecedented move, have totally taken over numerous cities, in a highly coordinated offensive, and are now on the outskirts of Damascus, obviously preparing to make a very big move toward taking out President Bashar al-Assad. Russia, because they are so tied up in Ukraine, and with the loss there of over 600,000 soldiers, seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Criticising the previous policies of former President Barack Obama, Trump further said that there is the possibility of Assad himself being forced out, which can actually be the "best thing" to happen to Syria.
"This is where former President Obama refused to honor his commitment of protecting the RED LINE IN THE SAND, and all hell broke out, with Russia stepping in. But now they are, like possibly Assad himself, being forced out, and it may actually be the best thing that can happen to them," Trump stated.
"There was never much of a benefit in Syria for Russia, other than to make Obama look really stupid. In any event, Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!," he added.
Syrian government forces have withdrawn from several Damascus suburbs where anti-government protests erupted on Saturday, according to two war monitoring groups, as a rebel offensive farther to the north moved rapidly in the direction of the capital, the New York Times reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces have pulled out of a number of Damascus suburbs including Moadamia al-Sham and Daraya. That could not immediately be confirmed.
On Thursday, the rebels captured the city of Hama, after that they set their sights on the crossroads city of Homs which, if captured, would split the territories under the control of President Bashar al-Assad in two.
Following this deteriorating situation in Syria, Ministry of External Affairs on Friday issued a travel advisory for Syria, strongly advising Indian nationals to avoid all travel to the country until further notice.
This warning comes in light of the situation prevailing in Syria, which poses significant risks to travellers.
"In view of the situation prevailing in Syria, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all travel to Syria, until further notification," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.
"Indians currently in Syria are requested to remain in touch with Indian Embassy in Damascus at their emergency helpline number (also on WhatsApp) and email ID hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in for updates. Those who can, are advised to leave by the earliest available commercial flights and others are requested to observe utmost precaution about their safety and restrict their movements to the minimum," the MEA release added.
The conflict began in 2011, after Assad moved to stamp out peaceful pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring. Over 3,00,000 civilians have been killed in more than a decade of war, according to the United Nations, with millions more displaced across the region.
Source: Times of Oman