1. An observation: In recent weeks we have witnessed a build-up of forces on the Euphrates southern bank in what appeared to be preparation to move on the Conoco and Omar gas and oil fields. We supported the SDF taking these fields, but that wasn't their idea. Controlling these
2. Sunni Arab areas is a heavy lift for the SDF that at the time was made up of Kurds and a modest percentage of Turkmen, Arabs and Syrian Christian forces. Unless we allow the AANES to develop the oil resource, that will require @USTreasury licenses due to the sanctions,
3. we have to realize that keeping the oil from Assad, Iran & their Russian backers is a challenge for the over-burdened SDF facing imminent attacks from Turkey on a large front. We need to grant someone a license to do business in Syria.
4. Daesh's defeat will never be complete as long as the underlying causes of Daesh's earlier success are addressed. These are the brutal Assad regime and the economic privation that the minority Alawite have imposed on the Sunni majority. Religious extremism
5. funded and backed by neighboring states provided the ability for Daesh to thrive. Even the US under the Obama administration was lulled into believing that we could find common cause with terrorist to overthrow Assad and all we did is strengthen the terrorists while Russia
6. insured Assad could continue to cause mayhem in Syria and flood @NATO members with refugees. The time to stop this is now. We need to give sufficient recognition to #AANES to permit it to be able to avoid sanctions, apply for observer status in the UN and begin to stabilize
7. Syria that is the place where the majority of Syrians belong in a free, democratic, secular, federal Syria. @POTUS @JoeBiden @SecDef @SecBlinken @WHNSC
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