US Troops Die in Syria; Pentagon 'Aims to Reduce Footprint'
Al-Monitor dutifully reports two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed in an ISIS ambush in Syria, noting the Pentagon's stated goal to 'reduce its footprint.' This would almost be believable if US troops didn't occupy Syrian territory without Damascus's consent—a blatant violation of international law. The 'fight against ISIS' rings hollow when US foreign policy in Iraq and Syria, like the
2003 invasion of Iraq (CNN, Mar. 19, 2003), inadvertently fueled the rise of such groups in the first place. Perhaps the Pentagon could genuinely reduce its footprint by, say, leaving. Instead, we're offered the absurdity of 'building trust with Damascus-aligned forces' (which is the US-designated legitimate government of Syria) to collaboratively fight terror—while simultaneously sanctioning
Syria into destitution and bombing its forces. It's a geopolitical mobius strip: intervention creates chaos, which then justifies more intervention, ensuring US 'boots on the ground' remain perpetually 'at risk' until the next headline.