Trump claims Turkey is reason behind Syria regime alteration
Date
12/18/2024 7:23:34 AM
(MENAFN) US President-elect Donald trump has accused Türkiye of orchestrating the Regime change in Syria, describing it as an “unfriendly takeover” by Ankara. Speaking at his first press briefing since the November election, Trump explained that the Syrian government’s collapse followed an offensive by the Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group, which took over major cities, including Damascus. This led to President Bashar Assad fleeing to Russia, where he was granted asylum.
Trump acknowledged that Türkiye had controlled the opposition forces that overthrew Assad, calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "smart" and "tough" for succeeding in the regime change. He added that Türkiye had long desired to exert influence over Syria and achieved this goal with minimal loss of life.
The president-elect also suggested that Türkiye would play a crucial role in Syria’s future, predicting that Ankara would "hold the key" to the country’s next phase. Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, Türkiye has been a major supporter of opposition groups, although it lists HTS as a terrorist organization. Türkiye also backs the Syrian National Army (SNA), which has launched offensives in eastern Syria to capitalize on the weakened Syrian government.
Following Assad’s ouster, the US and Türkiye have been working together to stabilize the situation in Syria, particularly to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State militants and establish an interim government.
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