CNN
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President Joe Biden detailed some preliminary subsequent steps his administration will take following the extraordinary fall of the Assad regime in Syria, providing a blueprint for a way the US plans to assist to the area amid a second of instability.
In remarks from the White House on Sunday, Biden known as the regime’s fall “a second of threat” and of alternative.
“It’s a second of historic alternative for the long-suffering individuals of Syria to construct a greater future for his or her proud nation. It’s additionally a second of threat and uncertainty. As all of us flip to the query of what comes subsequent, the United States will work with our companions and the stakeholders in Syria to assist them seize a chance to handle the danger,” he mentioned.
The US will “assist Syria’s neighbors, together with Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel, ought to any risk come up from Syria throughout this era of transition,” Biden mentioned throughout his remarks from the Roosevelt Room.
Biden mentioned he plans to talk along with his counterparts within the area “within the coming days” and that US officers will deploy to the area.
The US will work to “guarantee stability in jap Syria,” he mentioned, vowing to guard US personnel and proceed its mission towards ISIS.
The US is prioritizing efforts to stop the resurgence of ISIS, Biden mentioned, including that he’s “clear-eyed about the truth that ISIS will attempt to benefit from any vacuum to reestablish its functionality to create a protected haven,” however starkly saying, “We is not going to let that occur.”
Biden famous that these efforts embrace securing detention services the place ISIS fighters are being held as prisoners,” in addition to a “dozen precision strikes” in Syria concentrating on ISIS.
The Biden administration additionally plans to have interaction with Syrian teams because the nation transitions towards a brand new authorities, he mentioned.
“We will have interaction with all Syrian teams, together with inside the course of led by the United Nations, to determine a transition away from the Assad regime towards (an) impartial, sovereign … new authorities that serves all of Syria,” he mentioned.
“This course of be decided by the Syrian individuals themselves,” Biden continued. “The United States will do no matter we are able to to assist them, together with by means of humanitarian reduction, to assist restore Syria after greater than a decade of struggle and era of brutality by the Assad household.”
Biden warned that the US will “stay vigilant” and intently watch the insurgent teams’ actions. One of the important thing insurgent teams main the offensive, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, has been designated by the US as a terrorist group.
“We take a be aware of statements by the leaders of those insurgent teams in current days, and so they’re saying the suitable issues now, however as they tackle larger accountability, we’ll assess not simply their phrase, however their actions,” Biden mentioned.
