Press TV has interviewed Hafsa Kara-Mustapha, a journalist and political commentator, and Michael Lane, with the American Institute for Foreign Policy, to discuss the recapture by the Syrian army of the historical city of Palmyra from the Takfiri Daesh terrorists.
Kara-Mustapha says the retaking of Palmyra indicates that the Syrian army, with its allies, is actually achieving a lot. “Another victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is another slap in the face [of] and it’s another defeat for the anti-Assad coalition led by Saudi Arabia and Turkey,” she says.
The journalist further refers to the United States’ inefficiency in fighting terrorism, adding that the US air force has dropped several arms cargoes in Daesh-held territories in order to encourage the group.
She says President Assad has the overwhelming support of his own people, who have enabled his government to stand against terrorism during the past five years of unrest in Syria.
Lane, for his part, describes the recapture of Palmyra as a “very very important victory” for the Syrian government that “shows the capabilities and the efficiency of the Syrian army” in fighting Takfiri terrorists.
Comparing the number of attacks conducted by the US-led alliance and the Russian air force against militant groups in Syria, he notes the Obama administration’s strategy has been “embarrassing,” while Russian President Vladimir “Putin had a plan to use overwhelming military force to defeat the enemy.”
“The United States has not demonstrated seriousness about its military purpose in the region for defeating ISIL,” Lane says, using an acronym for Daesh.