The State Department says in its recap of its
2015 achievements of "bringing peace" to Syria, and a spokesman on Monday called that a "truthful claim."
"Now look, the operative word there is bringing, not brought, so we're bringing peace and security to Syria," Deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters, reports
The Hill.
Further, Toner said that it's a "mistaken impression" to think that John Kirby, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Public Affairs who wrote the Dec. 24 blog post, is saying Syria's conflict has been resolved.
The recap includes a subheadline, "Bringing Peace, Security to Syria," but the entry itself discusses the United States' assistance for people who have been affected by the ongoing strife in Syria, as well as a push to remove President Bashar al-Assad from office, reports
Politico.
Kirby said Syria has "borne a heavy load," but that Secretary of State John Kerry has led the United Nations to pass a resolution to create a plan for Syria.
The report also said that the United States is "winning [the] fight against violent extremists," and has made "positive strides over the last year, including in our fight against ISIL."
The progress will continue, Kirby wrote, "as more countries pledge resources to the anti-ISIL effort and as citizens around the world increasingly reject ISIL's misguided ideology."
The State Department also counted several other wins, including protecting the Arctic, finalizing the Iran nuclear agreement, stopping Ebola, re-establishing U.S. ties with Cuba, securing the free trade deal, reaching the climate agreement in Paris, and preserving the ocean's health.
On Monday, Toner also said the United States helped to unify the Syrian opposition forces against Assad, and has "made progress" through "a lot of hard, diplomatic spadework."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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