MOSCOW. Jan 15 (Interfax) - The Chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee, Leonid Slutsky, has wondered why the U.S.-led coalition has decided to create a border security force in Syria.
"The question is why these new coalition forces are being created. Leaving aside the fact that the ongoing presence of the Western military force in the Syrian territory violates its sovereignty, this course of action may demonstrate that the real objective pursued by the United States is to replace the regime [of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad] at any cost, rather that keep fighting international terrorism," Slutsky told Interfax on Sunday.
The effort of the U.S.-led coalition to create a border security force can hardly be seen as an attempt to achieve a real settlement in Syria, Slutsky said.
"The legitimate Syrian authorities have not invited either the United States or its allies to their territory," Slutsky said. He noted that the Russian Aerospace Forces assisted in the fight against terrorism at the request of the Syrian administration and, acting in collaboration with the government forces, defeated terrorist groups.
The Defense Post said on Sunday that the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL intended to create the so-called border security force in Syria.
"The Coalition is working jointly with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to establish and train the new Syrian Border Security Force (BSF). Currently, there are approximately 230 individuals training in the BSF's inaugural class, with the goal of a final force size of approximately 30,000," the Defense Post quoted Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) Public Affairs Officer Colonel Thomas F. Veale as saying.
"The BSF will be stationed along the Euphrates River Valley - marking the western edge of the territory within Syria currently controlled by SDF - and the Iraqi and Turkish borders," he said.