US says it wants to see 'political process' to end Syrian civil war following rebel offensive

The United States (US) State Department said on Monday (Dec. 2) that it wanted to see a political process to end the civil war in Syria, which has been going on since 2012.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Last week,rebel factionslaunched a large-scale surprise attack on areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad's government and seized territory in the country's northwest region.

The current offensive is being led byHayat Tahrir al-Sham, known by its initials HTS. The US and the United Nations (UN) have designated the HTS as a terrorist organisation.

'...want to end civil war once and for all'

Addressing a routine press conference, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "In the immediate term, what we want to see are de-escalation and protection of civilians and minority groups. But our overall policy remains the same, is that we want to see a serious and credible political process to end this civil war once and for all, with a political settlement consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254."

"As you know, that resolution calls for a process facilitated by the United Nations where the Syrian regime and the opposition groups would negotiate a path forward for Syria. It's important that that path be Syrian-led and have a process that ultimately leads towards elections," Miller said.

"That's what we want to see over the long term. But in the short term, we want to see a de-escalation of the situation and protection of civilians," he added.

"Nothing has changed with respect to our policy. Assad is a brutal dictator with blood on his hands, the blood of innocent civilians inside Syria, blood of his own people on his hands. Ultimately, what we want to see is a political process forward, where the Syrian people get to determine who their leaders are," the State Department spokesperson further said.

Over 400 killed in current offensive

The rebel offensive, which began last week, has killed more than 400 people,including at least 72 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Nearly 50,000 people have fled their homes in recent days, the UN said Monday.

The rebel factions seizedlarge swathes of Syria, reversing years of gains by forces loyal to President Assad in the 12-year war.

The HTSrules the country's last rebel bastion in the northwest. Last week,HTS and its rebel allies capturedSyria's second city, Aleppo, and dozens of towns and villages from government control.

(With inputs from agencies)