The Pentagon also proposed to ease a number of restrictions, which had been imposed under former United States President Barack Obama, on the size of the country's military contingent in Syria, currently involving about 500 trainers and advisers.
The US troops would not be directly involved in the fighting on the ground, according to the report.
Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Daesh caliphate, is located in northern Syria, 160 kilometers east of Aleppo, on the bank of the Euphrates. Daesh captured the city in 2013, and since then Syrian forces have made numerous attempts to regain control, but failed. In 2014, the Syrian Army lost control over the entire province of Raqqa.
"Looking back, initially the intervention was expected to be directed not against terrorists, but against [Syrian President] Bashar Assad who allegedly violated human rights. Eventually, these goals contradicted with reality. Now it seems that the new US presidential administration understands that it needs to change its goals in Syria," Muraviev told Radio Sputnik.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly stressed that the US should destroy Daesh in Syria and Iraq, which would require significant reconsideration of the American strategy in the region.
"As I understand, this reconsideration has entered the practical phase," the analyst noted.
Some experts suggested that the possible buildup of US troops in Syria may be related to Washington’s attempt to offset Russia’s achievements in the region. However, according to Muraviev, such an assumption is only partially correct.
According to Muraviev, the US could turn to cooperation with Russia on Syria, but this depends on President Trump.
"It depends on whether Donald Trump will be able to take independent steps in foreign policy. I think that Trump intends to work together with Russia, at least in the Middle East. Moreover, all forms of cooperation were agreed between [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov and [former State Secretary John Kerry] during [Barack] Obama’s presidency. But the future of such an alliance will depend on whether the new US presidential administration will be able to act independently," the expert concluded.
سایت تابناک از انتشار نظرات حاوی توهین و افترا و نوشته شده با حروف لاتین (فینگیلیش) معذور است.