USA Outlines The Features Of Invovement In Syrian Conflict

The withdrawl of NATO forces is still underway from Afghanistan and the USA is thinking of opening another war front in another Muslim country Syria. The top military officer has outlined the costs, risks and "benefits" of possible American military inmvolvement in Syrian conflict. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen Martin Dempsey offered five military options, including limited strikes and establishing a no-fly zone. But, he said using the force in Syria would be" no less than an act of war" and could cost Us billions of dollars. Washington's role in the conflict is currently limited to delivering humanatarian aid to Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, and providing non-lethal help to Syrian opposition. In an open letter to senetors, Gen Demsey analyzed five military options the US military could potentially undertake in Syria. * Training, advising and assisting the opposition. * Conduting limited strikes. * Establishing a no-fly zone. * Creating buffer zones inside syria. * Cintrolling Damacuss's chemical arms. Gen Demsey estimated that the first oiption would cost $ 500 million a year, while each of the other four options would require rouhly $ i bn a month. "The decision to use force is not one that any of us takes lightly. It is no less than a war." he writes in the letter. Gen Demsey acknowleged that outlines actions would strengthen the opposition and will pit more pressure on Bashar ul Asad, but he warned that USA should learn from its previous interventions, as in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said, We have leant from the past 10 years, however, that it is not enough simply to alter the balance of military power without careful consideration of what is necessary in order to preserve a funtioning state."