WASHINGTON, December 10. /TASS/. The US intelligence agencies are looking for new potential partners among the militant groups in Syria, The Washington Post reported.
According to a US defense official, "the Pentagon is part of a collective effort among intelligence agencies evaluating the various militant groups in Syria to determine possible partners aligned with US and allied security interests."
Another defense official told the newspaper that the Washington administration is now assessing what equipment and weapons Russia may have left behind in Syria. According to the source, these weapons could be used against the US and its allies.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday that representatives of the Washington administration are in contact with the armed opposition groups in Syria, including through mediators.
On November 27, members of armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces' positions in Aleppo and Idlib Governorates. By the evening of December 7, opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad had captured several major cities: Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Deraa, and Homs. They entered Damascus on December 8, after which Syrian army units withdrew from the city. Assad left office and fled the country after intra-Syrian talks.