Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, right, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian resort city of Sochi last month. The Trump administration believes that about 80 percent of the military manpower fighting in support of the Syrian government is made up of foreign forces from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iraqi militias and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. “The Syrian state is a mere shadow of itself,” the official said. The Trump administration is hoping to secure a political solution in part to ease the pressure of millions of Syrian refugees on Western nations. The official spoke as U.S. military leaders made plans to extend their modest military presence in northern Syria, which officials hope will translate into Syrian concessions at the negotiating table.

Source: Washington Post December 04, 2017 23:41 UTC