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A Syrian opposition figure said the U.S. coalition strikes against the Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria serves for the ultimate defragmentation of the war-torn country in the long run.
"The policy and strategy of the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition and its tactics are pure indication that they aim at the ultimate defragmentation of Syria," Anas Joudeh, deputy head of the Building Syrian State party, told Xinhua in an interview on Wednesday.
He said the anti-terror group would last for many years, which would threaten the integration of the Syrian society.
"I expect that the conflict between the Islamic State and the superpowers will last between 10 and 20 years and this reality will contribute to the political, social and economic disintegration of the society," he said, stressing that "the longer the conflict lasts, the more difficult finding a solution to the crisis becomes."
Anas Joudeh said the United States is attempting to administer the conflict in Syria by drawing red lines to the regional powers, adding that Turkey has an interest in the fall of Kurdish city of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane in northern Syria on the borders with Turkey, because it deems the slice of northern Syria as "its part of the cake."
The regional countries have interests in different parts of Syria and the Turks will benefit from dislodging the Kurds outside Ayn al-Arab and replacing them with Syrian rebels who will be trained in Turkey and will technically be loyal to their Turkish patrons once they are positioned on Syrian soil, he said.
While stressing that the U.S. strikes against the IS will not end the presence of this terror group in Syria, Joudeh noted that "the problem now is that the IS is the enemy of everyone but everyone is taking advantage of this terror group to achieve some gains."
Commenting the idea of setting up buffer zones in Syria, Joudeh stressed that a UN-backed buffer zone in Syria is out of question, noting that there will be "de facto separated areas in Syria" due to the current situation in the war-torn country.
The idea of imposing a buffer zone in Syria has recently been floated by Turkey, which deemed the step necessary in the international battle against the IS militants and also to sort out the issue of the Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The Syrian government rejected the idea, stressing that it would take all necessary measures to defend the sovereignty of Syria.
Joudeh said that the UN Security Council will not authorize the imposition of buffer zones in Syria, citing the stance of the Russians, who are expected to veto such resolution should it finds its way to the security council venue.
However, the opposition figure believes that "separated areas" technically exist in northern and southern Syria, given the fact that those areas have for long spun out of the government's control.
The man, who is a rising star among the opposition figures in Syria, said there are facts on ground that suggests the existence of "undeclared" buffer zones in northern Syria on the borders with Turkey and the southern province of Qunaitera, bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
He explained that the Syrian army cannot in fact enter the areas the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition is currently striking in northern Syria and the same case applies in southern Syria where the Israeli forces downed a Syrian war jet over Qunaitera last month, a move that was deemed by analysts as a tacit message to Damascus that flying over that area is not going to be tolerated anymore.
He said the exiled Syrian opposition groups want to establish a base in northern Syria, a move backed by Turkey.
"The reality indicates that these areas have become technically separated and have their own rules, which are different from those under the government's control," he added. Enditem
