Newsweek: A former US special forces officer warns against US withdrawal from Syria
Former US Army Special Forces officer John Wenzel warned that any US withdrawal from Syria would be particularly beneficial to Iran, which seeks to maintain a “corridor of influence” extending from Tehran to the Mediterranean.
Wenzel said in an article on Newsweek, as he explained that the United States’ withdrawal of all its forces from Syria will lead to a vacuum that will be immediately exploited by Tehran, Moscow, and Damascus, allowing these parties to strengthen their presence and influence in the region.
Wenzel added, “It’s also possible that Türkiye will act more freely in northern Syria, and this will have serious consequences for the Kurdish forces allied with the United States”.
It’s likely that the US withdrawal from Syria will exacerbate the difficulties in providing aid and protecting civilians in conflict-torn areas, further exacerbating the dangerous humanitarian conditions.
Wenzel stressed that the United States faces major obstacles in Syria, including the possibility of mission expansion and the complex dynamics of the conflict, so it’s necessary to have a clear and achievable policy that works to achieve balance and relative stability, because withdrawal may achieve a short-term goal of… Limiting the foreign military presence, but it also threatens to further destabilize the region.
