The United States offered to cooperate with Russia on stabilizing the situation in Syria's southwest where terrorists from ISIS are gaining ground by exploiting the focus of the country's military forces in Idlib, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2020) The United States offered to cooperate with Russia on stabilizing the situation in Syria's southwest where terrorists from ISIS are gaining ground by exploiting the focus of the country's military forces in Idlib, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey said on Thursday.
"What is not under control is beyond the northeast. South of the Euphrates in regime's areas one consequence of the focus on Idlib by what is left of [President Bashar] Assad's inept army is that few forces are left to deal with ISIS in the southwest ... That is a great concern to us," Jeffrey said.
The US, according the ambassador, has seen ISIS gaining ground there, attacking towns and at least briefly holding territories. "That has to stop," Jeffrey said. "We have offered to cooperate with the Russians on this, but as long as the focus is on Idlib that is yet another consequence."
He added that ISIS was unable to exploit COVID-19 crisis to advance in the parts of northeast Syria controlled by US forces and their Kurdish allies.
