On April 14, the political leader of Jaysh al-Islam, Mohamad Alloush, expressed his disappointment with the US-UK-France strike that targeted Syria earlier and told Reuters news agency that the strike “was not enough”. Alloush also hinted that the U.S. should have overthrown the Damascus government in response to the alleged chemical weapons attack in the Douma district.
“As long as this regime and its security agencies exist, the chemical (attacks) will continue because there is safety from the consequences that would end it … (Assad) is portraying what happened as a victory,” Alloush told Reuters.
Earlier, Alloush described the strike as “a farce” on his official Twitter account. The statements by the Jaysh al-Islam leader indicate that he was hoping for a game-changing strike. Jaysh al-Islam’s political leader appears to be growing more desperate following a rapid defeat of his armed group in the Eastern Ghouta region.
Local observers said that that most militants, including elements of radical groups like Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), also expressed their disappointment with the strike on social media. The HTS-linked Iba’a agency even mocked the strike and said that “a political disagreement” had been the real motive behind it.
A misinformation campaign led by many in the media suggested, during the past week, that the U.S. and its allies would destroy most of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and could even strike Iranian and Russian positions in Syria. Those claims raised hopes among militants in Syria, according to local observers. Such media reports, and especially actions by the U.S.-led block, are leading to more bloodshed in the war-torn country.
Top Photo | Mohammed Alloush, center, head of a Syrian opposition delegation, and other members attend talks on Syrian peace in Astana, Kazakhstan, Jan. 23, 2017. (AP/Sergei Grits)