500 people from special forces and instructors from the United States are based at Al-Tanf base. In the same region, the factions Kuvat Shahid Ahmad Abdo, Usud Sharqiya, and Liwa Shuhada El-Karjatein are based.
Previously, they were part of the so-called “New Syrian Army”, created by the Americans in 2015. With their help, the United States supported the threat to Damascus from the north-east, thanks to the connections between the “New Syrian Army” and the factions in Eastern Kalamun and Eastern Ghouta.
When the Syrian Arab Army, with the support of its allies, fought with ISIS on the banks of the Euphrates, the Pentagon said that it plans to transfer these groups to the north of Syria, to the control zone of the Kurdish formations of the “Syrian Democratic Forces” to participate in the offensive on Deir Ez-Zor.
But this did not happen. Syrian troops bypassed Al-Tanf and defeated ISIS on the Euphrates, liberating Deir Ez-Zor. Armed and paid US militants began to fight not against terrorists, but against the Syrian army, trying to maintain control over the roads through the Syrian desert.
As a result, they were defeated and retreated under the cover of American aviation in the so-called 55-km zone of deconflictation in the area of Al Tanf. The United States stated that they no longer support these factions, although in fact they provided them with the opportunity to live with weapons among the refugees in the “Rukaban” camp and protect them with their aircraft.
Against the background of the approaching winter and the difficult humanitarian situation in the camp, in the absence of external assistance, this situation can not continue for long. It must be solved.
The border with Jordan is still closed. The Jordanian border guards regularly destroy militants from among those who are trying to penetrate from Al Tanf. And at the same time, American secret services secretly take out some of their troops from there. Perhaps the Americans would like the militants in Al Tanf to fight the Syrian army after US aviation ceases to protect them from the air. Then the Western media will be able to tell the whole world that people in Syria are being killed again.