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| A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft refuels a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet. (Image by Flickr user: U.S. Department of Defense) |
By Shannon Tiezzi
As the U.S. begins its anti-IS campaign in Syria, China has a tough decision to make.
In the early morning of September 23, the United States carried out 14 air strikes and launched 47 Tomahawk missiles against Islamic State (IS) targets within Syria. The U.S. has led over 100 airstrikes against IS in Iraq but Tuesday marked the first time U.S.-led forces have made good on Obama’s promise to go after IS forces within Syria’s border.
According to U.S. defense officials, the air strikes targeted weapons supplies, training compounds, barracks, and command and control facilities used by IS. The Pentagon reported that, in addition to the U.S., Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates participated in the strikes. Over the same period, the U.S. also carried out independent strikes against the Al Qaeda-affiliated Khorasan Group within Syria. In his remarks on the air strikes in Syria, President Barack Obama promised that “we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people.”
As I’ve noted before, U.S. air strikes against IS pose a thorny problem for China. On one hand, Beijing has repeatedly emphasized its absolute commitment to rooting out terrorism, as well as stressing the danger international extremist groups pose for China. Beijing is particularly concerned about Uyghur militants training and fighting with IS, then eventually bringing their new capabilities to bear on China itself.
However, China is extremely wary of supporting U.S. military action on foreign soil. The airstrikes in Iraq were more palatable to Beijing, as the Iraqi government had requested help and was working in concert with Washington and its allies to coordinate the campaign against IS. Syria is another matter altogether. The U.S. government has repeatedly called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, accusing him of using brutal tactics to protect his hold on power.
Read the full story at The Diplomat