He also emphasized on potential risks
US general sets out options for US intervention in Syria
24/07/2013 - 11:45am
A senior US general has set out in a letter to the Congress all possible options for military intervention in Syria, but stressed political leaders are the ones to decide whether to go to war. The letter that was written by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey was made public on Monday included five military options and emphasized on potential risks of US intervention in Syria such as the empowering of extremists and retaliation actions by the Syrian regime.
More specific, in one of the possible options, Dempsey said the US could conduct lethal stand-off strikes that would degrade the regime's air defenses as well as ground, missile and naval forces. However, he pointed that such an operation would require hundreds of aircraft and ships and would have very high costs.
Another option, which is backed by Senator John McCain, is the establishment of a no-fly zone to prevent the regime from using its aircraft to bomb rebel areas.
On the other hand, the most aggressive plan would be to order special operations forces and other ground forces to assault and secure critical sites that contain Syria's chemical weapons.
Finally, Dempsey stressed that the US is weary of war after more than a decade of armed conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and warned: “Once we take action, we should be prepared for what comes next. Deeper involvement is hard to avoid."
The US is currently providing humanitarian assistance and non-lethal aid to rebel groups fighting against the government of Bashar al-Assad. However, in June, it promised to provide further military aid to Syria's rebel forces after accusing the regime of using chemical weapons. EUROPE ON LINE
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