A Candid Look At US Involvement In Syria
As a result of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and rhetoric used by the Kremlin and its allies, a lot of dissenting public opinions and conspiracy theories have begun to become more prominent on social media and internet blogs. I think it is important to clear the air regarding the situation in Syria, and the US/Coalition involvement there.
From October of 2017 until March of 2018, my unit of Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine regiment was deployed to Syria in support of special operations forces and coalition partners to fight the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria (ISIS/ISIL). Other contingents of my unit, acting as part of the Ground Combat Element (GCE) for the special-purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force were located in Iraq (assisting Iraqi forces pushing ISIS to Qa’im), Kuwait as part of Crisis Response, and in Afghanistan as US forces were beginning the draw-down.
In Syria, we operated out of several major areas, such as a firebase located in Al-Shidaddi (in Al-Hasakah Governorate), as well as KLZ, also known as Kobani Airfield the Turkish border. From there, American and coalition forces push out to locations known as FLoTs, or Foward Line of Troops, smaller outposts closer to where the Islamic State is located. Several of these are well known, such as those at the Conoco gas fields and Umar oil fields, but there are many scattered throughout hotspots in Syria.
Alongside US forces are coalition partners such as the Polish, French, and British. But most importantly, are the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Mostly made up of the Kurdish YPG & YPJ, the SDF are democratic rebels who have been directly fighting both the Assad regime, and the Islamic State. The objective of the missions for US forces in the region are to provide close air support, intelligence, advisory, assistance, and indirect fire support for the SDF as they engage the Islamic State on the ground. US forces are unable to move throughout Syria without an escort by the SDF, and local partners dictate many of the rules and customs which usually restrain US actions even more than our own rules of engagement. Many of these customs however deal with daily life, especially with the limited resources such as food, water, power, and sanitation which the SDF are able to provide while hosting coalition forces. These resource requirements, while supplemented by the US government, are heavily reliant on the SDF, and they are very generous with what little they have.
Now, it is time to address some of the main talking points made by “investigative journalists” and conspiracy theorists. Often to justify a cause of “whataboutism” in narratives trying to degrade US and coalition support in areas of conflict.
US Is Occupying Syria
The idea of a US foreign occupation in Syria is a concern for many, especially following the occupation of Iraq (2003 - 2010) and Afghanistan (20
02 - 2021). However, the US and coalition forces actually inside Syria are extremely small in comparison to what would be required for an occupational force. The mission scope in Syria is very limited, and as a result, the mission personnel requirements leave nothing but a small US footprint in Syria. Prior to my unit’s deployment, the overall Marine deployment in Syria was limited to roughly one platoon of 40 Marines. In October 2017, that expanded from a platoon to a company of Marines (roughly 200 total). Only a few thousand American troops are in Syria total. Occupational forces in areas just controlled by the SDF would require tens of thousands of standard ground forces and would be very unpopular leading to fighting yet another insurgency in a Middle Eastern country.
The US Is Stealing Oil In Syria
This statement is categorically false. While under President Donald Trump, a company was given a license to work in Syria after being contracted by the SDF to rebuild and maintain the Umar oil fields, no such work has taken place as the security situation in Syria is simply too fragile for development. US forces do have a presence, along with the SDF, in the Umar oil fields and Conoco gas fields. These facilities were destroyed in US air strikes while under ISIS control, who used them to sell oil to the black market. These facilities are no longer capable of major oil or gas production, with most of the equipment nothing more than rusting hulks of metal in the desert, blown apart and inoperable. Furthermore, there was never at any point in time, a mission briefing for providing armed convoy escort or protection of vehicles carrying oil and gas.
These positions, while denying ISIS the opportunity to develop a way to fund their terrorist activity, also allows an opportunity for our SDF partners to at some point in the future develop this area and provide valuable income to them, once the security situation stabilizes to allow reconstruction to take place. These positions also happen to be located just north of Dier ez-Zour, a strategically important center of ISIS control at the time these installations were established, and ISIS positions within range of indirect fire weapons, such as the 120mm Mortar which is heavily utilized by US and coalition forces in the region. These positions are also along the Euphrates river, the main geographic deconfliction feature which separates pro-Assad and Russian forces from SDF and coalition forces, and a security presence there keeps pro-Assad and Russian forces from creating incursions into pre-designated territory.
The US Is Committing Atrocities, Not The Russians/Assad Regime
This is once again objectively false. While civilian casualties have occurred as a result of US airstrikes and bombardments, casualties are minimized by the usage of precision strike weapon systems such as laser guided JDAMs, hellfire missiles, and HIMARS rocket systems. Rules of Engagement (RoEs) are also a hugely limiting factor, sometimes creating situations which inherently endanger US and coalition forces for the sake of protecting civilians.
While in Syria, and while at these forward outposts, the SDF frequently transport casualties to US forces at these outposts. US personnel with medical experience attempt to save the lives of SDF casualties, and more often than not, civilian casualties. These are often created by the pro-Assad, Syrian National Army, and Russian air strikes and artillery bombardments on highly concentrated civilian areas or on groups of refugees making their way to one of the many camps throughout the region. During our deployment, 2 US Navy Corpsmen within the company received the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal for providing life-saving medical assistance on nearly 1,000 Syrian casualties during a duration of 6 months. This does not include the dozens of Combat Life Saver (CLS) Marines and additional Corpsmen, as well as coalition and Special Operations personnel who also provided assistance to the injured.
Due to Russian and Syrian bombardments and air strikes, many towns and villages in Syria have been completely levelled, with nothing but the Mosque (if that) still standing. Leaving those who survived the attacks unscathed with nothing, and therefore to trek, usually on foot, to one of the many over-crowded and dangerous refugee camps throughout the country. Sometimes these too are targeted by the Russian and Syrian Air Force. Killing people who had already lost everything.
The reality of the US and coalition involvement in Syria is that it is as advertised to the American public and to the world. Many US operations are, as those which had underlying tones were horrendously received, and ended as strategic failures and a loss of confidence in the government. Coalition forces in Syria are there for two reasons: 1) hunt down and assist in the destruction of the Islamic State and prevent its resurgence, and 2) deter the regime of Bashar al-Assad and the Russian Sothern Command from once again using chemical weapons in Syria. US and global political leaders and major commentators have used these different arguments to give dissenting opinions on US involvement overseas. Whether these statements and accusations are made willfully while knowing they are false, or made out of ignorance, are no less dangerous. The sacrifices made by thousands of our SDF partners and those from our own forces should not be discarded as being done for evil purposes. Nor should the absolutely horrendous atrocities committed by the Russian Forces and Syrian government go unpunished and unheard.
Every morning in Al-Shidaddi, if you were on the morning post rotation, you would see a group of nearly a dozen children enter the town square in view of one of our posts. They would go out, play football (soccer), laugh, and enjoy their childhoods. Around them are the signs of destruction that the Islamic State had brought. The very post from which we could witness such innocence, was a former ISIS prison and torture chamber. Inside, the claw marks of those detained are still visible. It was moments like this which re-assured oneself that they were there for a purpose. Syria is a hell on earth, where death, destruction, and atrocities are committed on a scale that makes one question the morality of man. But these moments, filled with the laughter of children, who could play their favorite sport without worrying of stepping on an IED, or worrying of a firefight breaking out, all because the coalition was located nearby, made it worth it. According to the Jewish text, the Talmud (and as quoted in Schindler’s List), “He who saves one life, saves the world entire.” A concept I think not restricted to a single religion or belief, but on a basic principle of morality, and determination of right and wrong. The actions of the coalition have saved the lives of many and have prevented many atrocities simply through its existence.