President Biden on Sunday praised the overthrow of Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad and offered US support in setting up a new government — while acknowledging concerns about the rebels’ “grim’’ terror links.
President Biden on Sunday praised the overthrow of Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad while noting the terror links of the rebels now in control — and as the US launched strikes against ISIS-tied strongholds there.
Biden underscored the risks of Syria becoming a haven for ISIS after the collapse of the oppressive regime and vowed, “We will not let that happen.”
CENTCOM confirmed that it had conducted dozens of precision US strikes on more than 75 targets in eastern Syria, hitting ISIS camps, leadership and other assets, after Assad’s fall.
There was no initial evidence of civilian casualties in the bombing campaign, according to CENTCOM.
“At long last, the Assad regime has fallen. This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians,” Biden, 82, said in his address from the White House.
“The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice. It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country,” the president said.
“It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty as we all turn to the question of what comes next,” Biden said.
On Saturday, Syrian rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani, stormed into Syria’s capital of Damascus, collapsing Assad’s government.
