In Syria, after fifty years of iron-fisted rule by the Assad family and 13 years of civil war, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has collapsed. In a little over a week, rebel Islamist forces swept through the cities of Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus, seizing control, as government troops withdrew, and Assad fled the country.
At the White House President Joe Biden said, “This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians.” He called its demise “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. It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty,” he said.
The rebel group that spear-headed the overthrow of the regime is a U.S. and UN-designated terrorist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. President Biden warned that “some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.”
“We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days,” he said. “They’re saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.”
President Biden emphasized that the United States will maintain its mission against ISIS in Syria.
“We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capability and to create a safe haven. We will not let that happen.”
To that end on December 8, U.S. forces conducted dozens of airstrikes against ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps in central Syria. “All organizations in Syria should know,” said U.S. CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla, “that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way.”
President Biden promised to work with “all Syrian groups … to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward an independent … sovereign Syria.”
“It’s now incumbent upon all opposition groups who seek a role in governing Syria to demonstrate their commitment to the rights of all Syrians, the rule of law, and the protections of religious and ethnic minorities.”
“The United States will do whatever we can to support [the Syrian people], including through humanitarian relief,” said President Biden, “to help restore Syria after more than a decade of war and generations of brutality by the Assad family.”
