US Policy İn Syria Needs Adjusting, Officals Say

The U.S. policy in Syria may need to be tweaked, senior administration officials have suggested in the past two days, as Bashar al-Assad's regime has become a catalyst in the rise of terror groups.



The New York Times on Thursday reported that in a leaked memo earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel warned the White House that "the administration's Syria policy was in danger of unraveling" as it failed to clarify its intentions toward the Assad regime. 



This comes a day after National Security Advisor Susan Rice said that the solution to the Syrian conflict must include Assad's removal.



At a press briefing Thursday with the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the defense chief did not deny the Times report.



"Because we are a significant element of this issue, we owe the president and we owe the National Security Council our best thinking on this. And it has to be honest and it has to be direct," Hagel said. 



He noted that the regime has benefited from the U.S.-led operations on ISIL targets in Syria. 



Assad has been barrel bombing Syrian opposition while ISIL, his other enemy, has been struck by U.S. airstrikes, which strengthens his position in the conflict. 



Hagel added, however, that the coalition has a long-term strategy that will stabilize Syria and the Middle East via "inclusive governments."



The defense chief was asked if the U.S. should be more aggressive against Assad. "We look at every option," he said. "We are building and continue to build an effective coalition in the Middle East to deal with these issues."



But he also acknowledged that stability in Syria would require all the countries in the region to work together to find a solution. That includes Turkey, has put more emphasis on the removal of the Assad regime as it is one of the key factors giving way to ISIL to create a safe haven in Syria.



Washington prefers to place priority on dealing with ISIL as the terror group poses a more imminent threat to U.S. interests. 



The U.S. and coalition forces have conducted hundreds of strikes on ISIL targets at mounting costs but results are difficult to measure. 



Hagel also confirmed during the briefing that some Guantanamo Bay detainees released by the U.S. have returned to join the fight in the Middle East on the side of ISIL and other terror groups. 



He added that closing the prison there is in the best interest of the U.S. 



www.aa.com.tr/en - Washington DC