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US Faces Legal, Political Challenges to Implement No-Fly Zone in Syria

© Flickr / U.S. Department of DefenseUS fighter jets in Syria
US fighter jets in Syria - Sputnik International
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The United States faces political and legal challenges to implementing a no-fly zone within Syrian airspace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, stated in a US Senate Armed Services Hearing on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — "From a military perspective, we can implement the no-fly zone [in Syria] and we have the capability to do that," Dunford said. "The challenges are political, legal and the diversion of resources that are currently fighting ISIL [Islamic State]."

In order to prevent Syrian or Russian aircraft from flying in Syrian airspace, the United States would have to shift its current operations against the Islamic State toward securing the airspace, Dunford explained.

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On Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said that President Barack Obama has not taken the option of a Syrian no-fly zone "off the table."

Carter added that at this stage, US military leadership has not made the recommendation for a no-fly zone.

Russia has previously argued that a US no-fly zone in Syria would violate international law, without a resolution passed by the UN Security Council. Neither the UN nor the Syrian government have approved the US-led anti-Islamic State operations in Syria.

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