ANKARA
Sending U.S. troops to fight Daesh in Syria would be a mistake, U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday.
"That would be a mistake, not because our military could not march into Mosul [in Iraq] or Raqqa [in Syria…] and temporarily clear out ISIL [Daesh], but because we would see a repetition of what we've seen before, which is if you do not have local populations that are committed to inclusive governance and who are pushing back against ideological extremes that they resurface, unless we're prepared to have a permanent occupation of these countries," Obama told a press conference at the G20 summit held in the southern Turkish province of Antalya.
Obama said it was important to pursue a strategy that can be "sustained", like the one that is currently being followed.
"And let's assume that we were to send 50,000 troops into Syria, what happens when there's a terrorist attack generated from Yemen? Do we then send more troops into there? Or Libya perhaps? Or if there's a terrorist network that's operating anywhere else in North Africa or in Southeast Asia?" he asked.
"Given the fact that there are enormous sacrifices involved in any military action, it's best that we don't, you know, shoot first and aim later. It's important for us to get the strategy right and the strategy that we are pursuing is the right one," he said.
Daesh not a 'traditional' enemy
The U.S. president noted that Daesh was not "a traditional military opponent".
Occupying territory in Syria would not "solve the underlying problem of eliminating the dynamics that are producing these kinds of violent extremist groups".
'Modest progress on the diplomatic front'
Obama said the recent Vienna talks over Syria was significant.
"We've begun to see some modest progress on the diplomatic front, which is critical because a political solution is the only way to end the war in Syria and unite the Syrian people and the world against ISIL," he said.
In weekend talks in Vienna on the resolution of Syria’s four-and-a-half year civil war, regional and world powers, the UN, the EU and the Arab League agreed on a UN-mediated cease-fire in Syria with negotiations between the regime and opposition groups to take place by the end of the year.
Elections would be held within 18 months of a six-month transition period.
Obama was quick to note that there were still disagreements between the parties, including most critically over the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, who, he said, had no role in Syria's future "because of his brutal rule", adding his war against the Syrian people was the primary root cause of this crisis.
Putin says international coalition needed to combat terror
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that an international counter-terrorism coalition is needed to combat terror globally, including Daesh.
"I think that this is not only possible but necessary," Putin told reporters after the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey.
"There is nothing difficult here. It is necessary to establish concrete work to forestall and prevent terror attacks and fight terrorism on a global scale," Putin said, quoted by Russian news agency TASS.
"We also suggested joining efforts in fighting the Islamic State," the Russian president said, using an alternative name for Daesh. "We have always been open to this cooperation. We assume that this cooperation can be established both at the political level and between special services."
Putin said that it is to be decided who terrorists and political opponents in Syria are and that there are parts of the armed opposition in the country who believe that it is possible to begin a military campaign against Daesh, with Russia’s support.
"We are ready to provide such air support," he said. "If that happens, there may emerge a solid basis for further political settlement efforts," Putin said.
"We do need support from the United States, the European countries, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran," he said.
The fight against Daesh terror organization operation in Syria and Iraq has come to the foremost agenda after Friday's terror attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead.
Russia began air operations in Syria on Sept. 30. The Kremlin claimed the airstrikes are aimed at supporting the forces of Russia’s ally, President Bashar al-Assad against Daesh. However, Turkey and the West accused Russia of targeting moderate fighters opposed to Assad, many of which are supported by Turkey and the U.S.
According to Putin’s official website, Kremlin.ru, he told reporters that "we are well aware that we must cut off the channels used to finance terrorism," and that they had discussed the issue at G20.
"I also showed our colleagues satellite images and aerial photographs that show very clearly the scale of this illegal trade in oil and petroleum products," he said.
