Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has lambasted the presence of US military forces in Syria, stressing that the troops have been deployed neither on the basis of a mandate from the United Nations Security Council nor at an official request from the Damascus government.
“The US presence on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river, and in the southern al-Tanf region is not legitimate. It has neither been authorized by the UN Security Council, nor has been demanded by Syrian authorities,” Bogdanov said at the opening of the 11th edition of the Middle East Conference of the Moscow-based think tank and discussion forum Valdai Discussion Club.
The senior Russian diplomat then questioned the Americans’ strategy in Syria.
“If the US side’s claims that the sole purpose of their presence in Syria is to fight terrorism, then I would like to know how longer such a campaign would continue and what the tangible outcome is,” Bogdanov said.
He underlined the strategic importance of areas on the eastern bank of the Euphrates river to Syria’s economy, saying, “There are food crops and crude oil there. If the Damascus government were in control of the territory, the socioeconomic situation in the country would be much better.”
US military brings weapons, equipment to bases in Syria’s Hasakah
Meanwhile, the United States has dispatched truckloads of military and logistical equipment to Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah as Washington is seeking to strengthen its foothold in the war-ravaged Arab country and further plunder its natural resources.
Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Syria’s official news agency SANA that a convoy of 23 trucks, including chiller lorries, crossed into the Syrian territory on Monday after passing through al-Waleed border crossing.
The sources added that the convoy headed toward US positions in the province.
The US military has stationed forces and equipment in eastern and northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
