Biden Administration to Correct Obama’s Mistakes in Syria

A Syrian in northern Hasakah watches an American military convoy in 2019. AFP file photo
A Syrian in northern Hasakah watches an American military convoy in 2019. AFP file photo
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Biden Administration to Correct Obama’s Mistakes in Syria

A Syrian in northern Hasakah watches an American military convoy in 2019. AFP file photo
A Syrian in northern Hasakah watches an American military convoy in 2019. AFP file photo

A former senior official in Donald Trump’s administration has participated in a briefing call with President-elect Joe Biden’s team about the state-of-play in the battle against ISIS and America’s presence in Syria and Iraq.

Trump’s former special envoy for Syria and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS James Jeffrey offered his assessment of the political and security situation in Syria, some of the competing national interests gripping the country, as well as a broad overview of the role of US troops in the country, estimated to be at least 600 US soldiers.

The call is one of several in-person and virtual national security briefings to get Biden’s team up to speed on some of the ongoing conflicts where US troops have been deployed.

Biden and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken are expected to correct some of what Barack Obama’s administration failed to achieve in Syria.

During a campaign speech in the US state of Iowa in October, Biden described Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria as a “complete failure,” noting that it would leave the Syrians open to attacks and stressing the importance of supporting Syrian Kurds.

Earlier this year, Blinken, who served as Obama’s deputy national security adviser, admitted that the Obama administration “failed” in Syria, slamming the Trump administration for “pulling out” of the country entirely.

“We failed to prevent a horrific loss of life. We failed to prevent massive displacement of people internally in Syria and, of course, externally as refugees,” he told CBS News in May.

Obama had said that the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be a “red line,” but when Assad used sarin gas, he never retaliated.

Blinken stressed that the situation in Syria has become worse, adding that Trump’s administration lost any remaining leverage in Syria to try to effectuate some more positive outcome.
When asked about the possibility of normalizations with the Assad regime Blinken said “it is virtually impossible for me to imagine that.”

Biden’s close ally Senator Chris Coons has said he supports the continued presence of US troops on ground in Syria and Afghanistan to retain the capacity and prevent terrorist organizations, such as ISIS and al-Qaeda, from reemerging and launching attacks.

Biden has made similar statements saying these forever wars shall end. He expressed support for the US troop withdrawal, but voiced concern over ISIS.



Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution

The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
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Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution

The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)

Sudan's military agreed to a proposal from the United Nations for a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher to facilitate UN aid efforts to the area, the army said Friday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and asked him for the humanitarian truce in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, to allow aid delivery.

Burhan agreed to the proposal and stressed the importance of implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions, but it’s unknown whether the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces would agree and comply with the ceasefire.

“We are making contacts with both sides with that objective, and that was the fundamental reason for that phone contact. We have a dramatic situation in El Fasher,” Guterres told reporters on Friday.

No further details were revealed about the specifics of the ceasefire, including when it could go into effect.

Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into battles in the capital, Khartoum, and spread across the country, killing more than 20,000 people.

The war has also driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine. UNICEF said earlier this year that an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced since the war began.

Guterres said on Friday that a humanitarian truce is needed for effective aid distribution, and it must be agreed upon several days in advance to prepare for a large-scale delivery in the El Fasher area, which has seen repeated waves of violence recently.

El Fasher, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Khartoum, is under the control of the military. The RSF has been trying to capture El Fasher for a year to solidify its control over the entire Darfur region. The paramilitary’s attempts included launching repeated attacks on the city and two major famine-stricken displacement camps on its outskirts.