CIA Chief: The U.S. Does Not Want Extremists to Replace the Syrian Regime

John Brennan, the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), stated that the United States does not wish for extremists to take the place of the Syrian regime in the event of a potential chaotic collapse. On March 13, in response to a question about whether Washington is concerned about who might replace Syrian President Bashar al-Assad following a possible power collapse, he replied, "I think this is a legitimate concern." According to the French news agency, the CIA chief mentioned during a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations that extremist groups like the Islamic State and affiliates of al-Qaeda are currently rising in some areas of Syria. Bloomberg quoted him saying, "What we do not want is to allow extremist elements to take power." Brennan emphasized the importance of supporting non-extremist opposition groups against Assad. The United States is currently involved in arming and training a group of Syrian regime opponents, whom the West publicly refers to as Assad's 'moderate opponents.' These individuals are also among the forces engaged in ground operations against the Islamist militants of the so-called Islamic State. During the Council on Foreign Relations meeting, Brennan reiterated that the U.S. sees no place for Assad in Syria's future, but the Obama administration and other governments want to witness a political solution that would inevitably include a representative from Assad's government. He stated, "None of us—Russia, the U.S., the coalition, and regional governments—want to see the collapse of the government and political organizations in Damascus." According to Bloomberg, the CIA chief asserted that Syria's future is not conceivable on the battlefield but rather through political means. Global powers' efforts to conclude political dialogues between Assad's government and its non-extremist opponents have so far yielded no results. Four years have passed since the Syrian civil war began, which started with the bloody suppression of largely peaceful protests against Assad's government. Four years ago, in the last weeks of March, tens of thousands of Syrian protesters took to the streets to oppose the Assad family's rule. More than 220,000 people have lost their lives in the past four years of conflict; Syria is now divided between the government and its opponents, with the extremist group Islamic State (ISIS) holding significant influence and power in the country. Reports indicate that approximately four million people have fled to other countries due to the Syrian civil war, and over 7.6 million have been displaced within Syria.