US special forces deployed as ‘human shields’ to protect terror assets in Syria: Analyst

The United States is deploying Special Operations Forces (SOF) to Syria to use them as “human shields” to halt Russian airstrikes against the CIA-trained militants there, according to a writer and political analyst.

Finian Cunningham, who has extensively written for Russia Today, Sputnik, Strategic Culture Foundation and Press TV,  made the remarks in an article published by Russia Today website on Sunday.

On Friday, President Barack Obama ordered the deployment of Special Operations troops to Syria to "assist" militants fighting against the government and the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group , in an apparent breach of his promise not to put US “boots on the ground" there.

“Obama’s decision to send Special Forces into Syria is being widely viewed as a US military escalation in the country. The troop dispatch also signals that the US trying to forestall Russian successes in wiping out Washington’s regime-change assets in Syria,” Cunningham wrote.

“In short, the US Special Forces are being used as ‘human shields’ to curb Russian air strikes against anti-government mercenaries, many of whom are instrumental in Washington’s regime-change objective in Syria,” he added.

On September 30, Russia began its military campaign against Daesh terrorists and militants fighting against the Syrian government. It has carried out scores of airstrikes against terrorists, killing hundreds of them.

Unnamed US officials have told The Associated Press that Russia has directed parts of its military campaign against US-backed militants and other extremist groups in an effort to weaken them.

They say the CIA-trained militants are under Russian strikes with little prospect of rescue by their American supporters.

The Obama administration has few options to defend those it had secretly trained and armed, the officials say.

The CIA began its covert operation in 2013 to arm, fund and train terrorists to overthrow the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Obama's decision to deploy special forces to Syria is "more about inhibiting Russian success in destroying the sundry anti-regime forces on the ground than about either 'helping the fight against [ISIL]' as claimed, or about misgivings of a large-scale American invasion," Cunningham wrote.

The analyst added that "the real purpose for Obama sending in the troops is to restrict Russian offensive operations by introducing the risk of bombing American forces. In effect, the US Special Forces are being used as human shields to protect American regime-change assets on the ground." 

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