U.S. Moves to Impose “Buffer Zone” Inside Syria Near Jordan Border

Following days of shelling by Turkey to establish a “buffer zone” in Syria, the United States has sent a military task force of more than 150 planners and other specialists to Jordan to establish a similar zone between Syria and Jordan. The zone on the Syrian side of the border would be enforced by Jordanian troops and be supported politically and logistically by the United States, according to the New York Times.

"We have a group of our forces there working to help build a headquarters there, and to ensure that we make the relationship between the United States and Jordan a strong one so we can deal with all the possible consequences of what's happening in Syria," Panetta said.

The Times describes the proposed violation of Syrian national sovereignty as a noble effort by the United States to manage an exodus of Syrian refugees and “prepare for the possibility that Syria will lose control of its chemical weapons and be positioned should the turmoil in Syria expand into a wider conflict.”

In June, Israeli Defense minister Ehud Barak added to the propaganda offensive aimed at Syria when he said Hezbollah in Lebanon will receive chemical weapons after the al-Assad regime falls. A few weeks later, the Pentagon announced it had made contingency plans to send teams of special operations troops into Syria to secure chemical weapons depots. According to the British Daily Star, however, nearly 200 elite British SAS and SBS troops were already in or around Syria hunting for al-Assad’s weapons of mass destruction. “The Star also claims that the SAS are accompanied by British MI6, US CIA, and both French and American soldiers,” Tony Cartalucci wrote for Infowars.com on August 26.

The United States sent troops to Jordan for the planned offensive against Syria as early as December. Whistleblower activist Sibel Edmonds reported December 11 that “foreign military groups, estimated at hundreds of individuals,” had taken up positions in the city of al-Mafraq, ten kilometers from the Syrian border. The presence of foreign troops were also reported by a Jordanian military officer who asked to remain anonymous, according to Edmonds’ blog.

In May, the United States conducted Eager Lion, a major training exercise in Jordan. Around 12,000 troops from 19 countries participated in the exercise, including Special Forces troops. “Among the wilder media speculation were claims Eager Lion was a dry-run for an invasion or cover for training Syrian rebels,” the Christian Science Monitor reported on May 29.

Also on Wednesday, the Turkish military announced its intention to intensify the conflict along the border with Syria. As violence between CIA and MI6 backed rebels and the Syrian government continues, Turkish General Necdet Ozel warned his military “will respond with greater force.”