US military mission violates Syria sovereignty: Deputy FM

Fri Dec 18, 2015 2:0PM

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad has cast doubt on Washington’s sincerity in fighting terrorism, saying US military mission in Syria is a violation of the Arab country’s sovereignty.  
“We doubt that they (US troops) are sincere in their fight against terrorism. They do not coordinate their actions with the Syrian army. This makes those forces illegal in Syria’s territory,” Mikdad said in an interview with RIA Novosti, published on Friday.

Mikdad said that the US is not fighting terrorism, which he said “must be a practical task, not this advertising gig that the West is engaged in.”

The Syrian official’s remarks came after Washington confirmed the deployment of special operations troops in Syria with US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter calling the first commando mission in the Arab country a success.
"I think the point is that it bore the fruit that we hoped it would," Carter told reporters on Thursday after meeting with troops and commanders in Irbil, the capital of the Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region.

In October, US President Barack Obama ordered up to 50 special operations troops to Syria, in an apparent breach of an earlier promise not to put US “boots on the ground”, to fight Daesh militants in the country.
This comes as since August 2014, the US along with some of its allies has been launching attacks against alleged positions of Daesh Takfiri terrorists without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.
Syria has slammed the United States and its allies for damaging the Arab country’s infrastructure and killing and injuring civilians.
Syria never to negotiate with terrorists
Elsewhere in the interview, the Syrian deputy foreign minister also took a swipe at Saudi Arabia for hosting a meeting of various forces seeking to oust the government in Damascus.

The photo shows a view of a two-day conference, attended by members of opposition groups from inside and outside Syria in the Saudi capital, Riyadh from 8-10 December. (AFP photo) 

“Some of the participants that Saudi Arabia allowed to the conference are not really opposition. Others represented terrorist groups. We can only say that Syria does not negotiate with terrorists. The only place we meet them is the battlefield,” Mikdad said.
Earlier this month, more than 100 members of opposition groups from inside and outside Syria took part in a two-day meeting in the Saudi capital in an effort to reach a common ground before potential negotiations with the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The talks broke up in disarray when a major terrorist group walked out.
Mikdad also praised Russia’s anti-terrorist campaign in Syria, saying its biggest achievement has been the weakening of Daesh and other terrorist groups.
“Russian airstrikes have degraded the terrorists, as proven by the recapturing of territories in Hama, Latakia, Idlib and Aleppo Provinces. Those are significant successes and they will become apparent even more soon,” he added.
Russia has been carrying out attacks against Daesh and other terrorist groups in Syria since late September, upon a request from the Damascus government.