.jpeg)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the US army of recruiting members from extremist armed groups, including ISIS, to form a so-called "Free Syria Army" in the northern city of Raqqa. During a four-way meeting with counterparts from Syria, Turkey, and Iran, Lavrov stated that the US is engaging local Arab tribes and militants from terrorist organizations to use them against Syria's legitimate authorities, with the aim of destabilizing the country. Lavrov emphasized the need to oppose this new threat through joint actions with the Syrian Arab Army and condemned foreign interference involving military force in the region.
Reports emerged in December of last year that US occupation forces were building a new military base at the southern entrance of Raqqa, despite having previously abandoned the city three years earlier. The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Washington of training and arming ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants to fight against Russian forces since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. In March, the Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin, claimed that the US planned to sow chaos in Syria by training and arming extremist militants, intending to use some of them for attacks on military facilities in Syria and Iran, including the kidnapping of Russian and Iranian servicemen.
It is alleged that the US is giving a special role to the Free Syrian Army, an umbrella coalition of Kurdish and Arab rebels formed in 2011 by army defectors and closely tied to ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Syrian field sources have reported communication channels between the US occupation base in Al-Tanf and ISIS cells conducting attacks against the Syrian Arab Army and its Iranian-backed factions. There has also been a notable change in ISIS tactics and access to advanced weapons and modern communication equipment found in their hideouts. The US army and international coalition maintain numerous military sites in Syria, primarily in Hasakah, Deir Ezzor, and Homs, which align with the distribution of Syria's oil and gas reserves.
Furthermore, the US has approximately 900 troops illegally deployed in Syria. The ongoing presence of these troops, along with the establishment of illegal bases, has raised concerns and drawn criticism for violating Syria's sovereignty.