Why Washington Does Not Want to Send Troops to Syria

The US political and military leadership never misses an opportunity to highlight how determined it is to defeat Daesh. At the same time, Washington and NATO appear to be making a significant effort not to send ground troops to Syria.

Russian analyst Vladimir Lepekhin believes that the reason lies in what he refers to as geopolitical metaphysics.

"There is a more or less obvious frontline in any ground operation. The line dividing the warring parties is an observable constant. When opposing forces fight on the ground, alliances are obvious," the expert wrote in an opinion piece for RIA Novosti.

Aerial war is a completely different story.

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, an F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, as the U.S. on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015, launched its first airstrikes by Turkey-based F-16 fighter jets against Islamic State targets in Syria

© AP Photo / U.S. Air Force via AP

Bombings and airstrikes, according to Lepekhin, are among rapidly changing and hardly observable variables. They do not necessarily help to determine the real reasons for choosing specific targets. As a result, some stakeholders accuse other countries of hitting the "wrong" targets.

Barack Obama recently said that airstrikes against Daesh should be carried out "surgically, with precision." No one could argue with this. "But who could determine (or prove) how precise or inaccurate US bombings in Syria really are?" the analyst asked.

Who could say whose side the US is really on when it comes to the Syrian conflict?

Russian Su-25 close air support aircraft taking off from the Hmeymim airbase in Syria.

© Sputnik / Dmitry Vinogradov

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Russian warplanes are based in the Syrian province of Latakia, meaning they are assisting those, who are "unambiguously fighting against terrorists," the expert noted, referring to Damascus. Moreover, the Russian aerial campaign in the war-torn country is transparent, with ample photo and video information released almost daily.

For its part, the US is flying missions from the Incirlik air base located in Turkey, notorious for its ambiguous role in the Syrian war. "Turkish leadership is supporting Daesh and views Assad, the Kurds in Turkey and the Yazidis as its archenemies," the analyst observed.

Aerial warfare, according to the expert, could blur the lines of who is fighting whom while a ground operation always reveals the frontline. 

"I think, this is the reason why the US and NATO do not want to take part in the ground operation so that they do not unexpectedly reveal their true interests and intentions. Should NATO forces appear in the conflict zone, it would soon be obvious, who they are fighting against, whose side they are on and what they are really doing in Iraq and Syria," Lepekhin explained.

Operation of Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria

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