ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - United States President Joe Biden on Sunday labeled the Syrian people’s triumph against Bashar al-Assad’s regime a “historic opportunity” and called to hold the ousted Syrian president “accountable.”
“The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice…It's a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria,” Biden said during a speech he delivered in the White House.
Syria’s civil war dramatically reignited late last month when a coalition of rebels led by the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army, seizing the northern city of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and culminating their victory by capturing the capital Damascus as rebels said Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule.
Biden said the US will “remain vigilant” against the emergence of terrorist groups in Syria.
On the fate of the deposed Syrian president, Biden said “Assad should be held accountable.”
Assad arrived in Moscow with his family on Sunday, Russian state media reported citing a Kremlin official, noting that Russia granted the former president asylum.
“We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations,” Biden said.
The US president also warned that some of the groups that toppled Assad’s regime have their own “grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.”
“We will assess not just their words, but their actions,” Biden said, saying that they have “taken note” of recent statements made by the HTS-led rebels.
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani ordered his forces not to approach any official institutions in the capital and declared that these institutions would remain under the supervision of Syrian regime Prime Minister Mohammed al-Jalali until their official handover.
On the possible reemergence of the Islamic State in Syria, Biden said that the US “will not let that happen,” adding that US forces conducted fresh strikes on ISIS in Syria.
Moments following Biden’s speech, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it has carried out airstrikes against 75 Islamic State (ISIS) camps in Syria, to prevent the group from taking “advantage” of the recent escalations in the country.
