Arab Allies Have No Wish to Support Washington's 'Game' in Syria

Arab nations, who initially took part in the US-led airstrikes against ISIL, have grown wary of Washington's scheming in the Middle East and have switched their efforts to tackle what they perceive as real threats, military expert Vladimir Prohvatilov told Radio Sputnik.

"Many know perfectly well that the US is not really interested in defeating ISIL. Washington's true aim is to create a zone of controlled chaos in the Middle East to deal with geopolitical and geo-economic issues. America's task is to spark a bloody conflict and drag others into it," the analyst asserted.

Washington's plans for the Middle East, according to Prohvatilov, prompted Canada's newly elected prime minister to pull out of the anti-ISIL bombing campaign. Delivering on this promise would mean that Justin Trudeau does not view the operation led by the US as beneficial for Canada.

This stance is not exclusive to Ottawa, the expert maintains. Many Arab countries which nominally take part in the US-led efforts share this position.

"People [in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar] are used to high living standards and do not want to take part in a war. The Saudi Army is essentially manned by Pakistani mercenaries. Saudi nationals have no wish to fight," he asserted.

Washington's Arab allies have switched their attention to Yemen and see tackling the Houthis as a priority.

"Riyadh views the Houthis as a threat since they are capable of calling to arms as many as 200,000 seasoned fighters. The same goes for Jordan and Qatar. They perceive Yemen as a real threat while ISIL is a subtle game engineered by the US," Prohvatilov noted.

Washington's stance towards Moscow's counterterrorism efforts in Syria is also a part of this game.

"The Americans want the Russians either to stop the campaign (so that Washington could accuse Moscow of a military defeat or cowardice) or to expand it so that Russia would bear all the cost" of a major military engagement, he added.