ISIS losses in Syria bolster Assad’s control
Need for U. S.- Russia talks increasing as militant areas shrink
WASHINGTON The Trump administration’s focus on battling the Islamic State is having an unintended consequence in Syria’s long civil war: Russian- backed dictator Bashar Assad is making steady gains in reclaiming control of his country.
Syrian government forces this week defeated the Islamic State in a key battle, further expanding the regime’s influence in northeastern Syria and bringing them a step closer to U.S .- backed troops near the same area.
The advances by both regime and U. S.backed forces have prompted the Russians and the United States to expand their military contacts, which have in effect divided Syria into zones of influence.
The need for these talks are growing more urgent as the territory controlled by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, is shrinking and an increasing number of forces are converging in a small area in northeast Syria.
The critical area is south of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital, where the Euphrates River has served as a border between Russian- backed Syrian forces and U. S.- backed local militias.
The Russians and Americans are figuring out how to extend that line as both U. S.- backed and Syrian regime forces make headway against ISIS.
The contacts between the U. S. and Russian military began as a way to avoid mishaps between aircraft but has ex- panded to create buffers on the ground.
The de facto buffer zones are giving the Syrian regime room to expand its influence, analysts say.
This week, regime forces reached an army brigade outpost in Deir el- Zour that had been surrounded by ISIS for years,
ISIS still controls much of the town and surrounding area with about 2,500 militants, the Pentagon said, but the Syrian army success gives the regime a foothold in an oil- rich area.
“We’re allowing the Syrian regime to come back,” said Jennifer Cafarella, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War.
The coalition has continued to bomb ISIS targets throughout the Euphrates River Valley, despite Assad regime gains, the Pentagon has said.
Still, the coalition is “concerned” about the Syrian regime’s commitment to defeating ISIS, said spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon.
For example, the Assad regime recently was party to an agreement that allowed an ISIS convoy to leave an area near the Lebanese border and head to the border with Iraq.
The coalition has blocked the convoy from getting to its destination by cratering a road and knocking out a bridge. It has not targeted vehicles in the convoy because the fighters are traveling with women and children.
The administration’s policy in Syria is somewhat contradictory, analysts say. The Pentagon has said it welcomes any assistance in eliminating ISIS, but has also said that Assad should step down.
Assad is backed by Iran and Hezbollah, a Shiite militia backed by Iran, in addition to Russia.
The U. S. has advisers and other forces in Syria backing the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF), made up of about 50,000 Kurdish and Arab fighters.