Saudi Arabia says discussed Syria incursion with US

The US-led coalition that has allegedly been striking terrorists in Syria for the past two years has reportedly discussed the potential of adding a ground component to the campaign.

According to Press TV, Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud and his counterparts from the 65-member coalition addressed the likelihood “two weeks ago in Brussels,” the Saudi minister’s Advisor Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri said on Monday.

According to Press TV, he said “It was discussed at the political level but it wasn’t discussed as a military mission,” adding “Once this is organized, and decided how many troops and how they will go and where they will go, we will participate in that.”

The coalition has been conducting air raids inside Syria since September 2014. The airstrikes have no authorization from the Syrian government or the UN and have fallen severely short of uprooting Takfiri ISIL terrorists, their declared target.

Saudi Arabia has recently been jostling for involvement in a potential ground intervention in Syria. Earlier, Riyadh offered to contribute Special Forces to such a mission and was met, according to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, with Washington’s “very supportive and very positive” reaction.

Washington itself has deployed Special Forces to eastern Syria in what it claims is an effort to shore up local militias against ISIL.

Asseri also said Saudi Arabia was now ready for what he called striking ISIL from Turkey’s southern Incirlik air base, where four Saudi fighter jets arrived last week.

ME