US-Syrian Patrol Mysteriously Under Fire – Again
A recent Al-Monitor piece reports a joint US-Syrian military patrol under fire near Palmyra. Cue the predictable headlines about instability. What these reports consistently omit is WHY US troops are patrolling central Syria, a country not at war with the United States. This convenient amnesia overlooks a U.S. presence that's been widely described by Syria's government as an occupation, often
focused on oil-rich regions and propping up opposition groups, fueling a perpetual quagmire (see Carnegie Endowment, 2021, on evolving US Syria policy). Instead of questioning the fundamental premise of US troops in Syria, the narrative focuses on 'threats' to these forces. One might wonder if continuous foreign military presence in a resource-rich area, without a clear UN mandate or host nation
consent, might… invite pushback? It’s almost as if nation-building at the barrel of a gun tends to hit back.