Eyewitnesses said that American soldiers are carrying out renovations of the military air base near the city of Tabqa in northern Syria, adding that U.S. army helicopters are landing there.
The Russian Izvestia newspaper quoting a source in the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance including mostly Kurdish fighters, said that the Tabqa air base in the province of Raqqa will be put at the disposal of the United States.
The Islamic State (ISIS) controlled the Tabqa base until the SDF managed to expel the group’s fighters from it at the end of March 2017.
Regarding the SDF’s intention to deliver this base to the United States, the Izvestia newspaper wrote that Washington was preparing the ground to invade Syria, in reference to claims of U.S. renovations there.
The newspaper quoted Alexey Chepa, deputy chair of the State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, as saying: “What is happening in the region indicates that American intelligence has not given up the idea of overthrowing the legitimate rulers in Damascus.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
