US, allies have been seeking to destroy Syria for 5 years

The United States and its Western and Arab allies have sought to destroy the nation and culture of Syria while Russia has played a constructive role in the country’s 5-year conflict, an American writer and political analyst says.

“What they’ve been doing is trying to destroy the Syrian government and the Syrian state and culture for 5 years and the Russians have been diametrically opposed to this coup attempt and have actually stopped it,” said Daniel Patrick Welch, a political commentator in Boston, Massachusetts.

“They (Russia) effectively stopped the death squad juggernaut in its tracks for the first time since the end of the Cold War,” Welch told Press TV on Wednesday.

Despite Russian and Iranian efforts to bring peace in Syria, Washington continues to launch a full-fledged assault against Syria and other anti-imperialist nations, he added.

The Pentagon has acknowledged Russia’s “constructive role” in the Syrian peace process, which might ultimately lead to a “resolution” of the years-long conflict.

“It’s being clear that they have focused more of their military attention on ISIL. We think that is a good thing. We encourage that from the start,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said during a briefing on Tuesday.

“They’re playing a constructive role with regard to the cessation of hostilities,” he added.

The Pentagon official said that no other player has more “leverage” than Russia to nudge the Syrian government toward a political transition.

Cook said the United States will continue with its military campaign against Daesh, “but at this point, we’re not at a position to cooperate with Russia in that effort.”

In recent months, the Syrian army, backed by the Russian air power, has been making major gains against terrorist groups, recapturing several strategic areas from their grip, particularly in the strategic northern province of Aleppo.

The Pentagon for months had accused Russia of being disingenuous by saying it was targeting Daesh terrorists while it was actually bombing US-backed militants operating inside Syria.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the crisis in the Arab country has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people and displaced nearly half of its pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.