US Plot for Future Syria: 'No Territorial Integrity, Special Plans for Raqqa'

On June 18, a US jet shot down a Syrian Su-22 fighter-bomber near the city of Tabqa. The US-led coalition said the Syrian aircraft attacked Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions, adding that the coalition downed the Syrian jet as part of "collective self-defense of Coalition partnered forces."

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that following the attack, it suspended the deconfliction channel with the United States for incident prevention in Syria.

On Tuesday, the US-led coalition downed a Syrian drone near al-Tanf, explaining that it showed "hostile intent" while advancing the coalition positions. The incident, it claimed, took place in the same location where another pro-Syrian government drone dropped munition on June 8 targeting the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The coalition then said that amid recent developments related to the deconfliction line with Russia, it will not allow pro-Syrian government aircraft to threaten or closely approach its forces.

Sputnik Turkiye discussed the situation in Syria with Celalettin Yavuz, Turkish professor of political sciences, retired captain of the Turkish Navy and former adviser to the chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (PND) on foreign policy and security.

"The forces of the US-led coalition first destroyed Syrian Su-22 fighter-bomber and then downed its UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle]. While everyone discussed the first incident, they made the second one. It is only too clear that both incidents convey a certain message to Moscow, a close ally of Damascus," Celalettin Yavuz told Sputnik.

The Turkish military expert then said that Russia, Iran and the government of President Assad on the one hand,  and the US, the international coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which mostly consist of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), on the other are fighting against Daesh in Syria. The logical question arises why the US in the face of a common threat of Daesh continues to strike the Syrian forces?

Celalettin Yavuz then reminded that it is not the first time the US is behaving like this. He recalled the developments in Aleppo back in September of 2016, during the celebrations of the Muslim holiday of Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha).

Back then there was an agreement reached on a ceasefire for a time of deliveries of humanitarian aid to the residents of Aleppo. However the Americans unexpectedly started bombing the units of the Syrian government army. Back then it looked absurd, he said.

However now it becomes clear that such behavior of the US and the coalition forces means only one thing: instead of preserving the territorial integrity of the Arab Republic, the US tries to split Syria, break it down.

In Raqqa, the expert said, the US is trying to set up if not a separate state, but at least an autonomy with wide-ranging powers.  If there were no such a plan, would the US attack the Syrian forces, putting at risk their relationship with Russia, he questioned.

"It is only too evident that the US' plan for Syria is to break it down, partition it. However the Syrian government forces are trying to prevent it. And in Raqqa we are witnessing  the attempt of the coalition to implement this plan at any cost," Celalettin Yavuz stated.