Speaking at a UN Security Council (UNSC) session in New York 27 January, representatives from Iran and Russia made an urgent call for the immediate withdrawal of foreign occupation troops from northeast Syria, in response to the week-long violence that has unfolded in the city of Hasakah.

Zahra Ershadi, the deputy permanent representative of Iran to the UN, called the clashes in and around Ghweran prison between ISIS fighters and the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) a “wake-up call.”

“Given the threats posed by foreign terrorists to the security and stability of the region, the Security Council should prioritize their repatriation to respective countries,” Ershadi said in reference to the thousands of ISIS fighters being held in makeshift prisons in regions controlled by Washington’s forces and allies.

The Iranian diplomat also said that Iran is “closely monitoring developments in the eastern bank of the Euphrates River,” highlighting the fact that US occupation troops have been unable to guarantee security in northeast Syria, and have helped Takfiri armed groups to extend their influence.

“As per the UN Security Council resolutions, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected. The Syrian government has a legitimate and inalienable right to counter terrorist activities on its territories, and any action taken to combat terrorism must be coordinated with the Syrian government,” Ershadi pointed out.

Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, echoed the call by his Iranian counterpart, saying the US has proven to be incapable of fighting these Takfiri armed groups.

“It is clear that the United States does not deal with the fight against terrorism even on a domestic level, let alone on a global scale,” Polyanskiy told the UNSC, before adding, “Russia will not stop fighting terrorism in Syria in cooperation with the country’s authorities.”

“Syrian forces, with the support of the Russian Air Force, continue to hunt down and eliminate the [ISIS] militants in Syria,” the Russian diplomat went on to say, referring to various ongoing operations across Syria.

The Russian diplomat also spoke out against the plundering of Syria’s natural resources by the US military, saying: “In areas where the United States is directly involved in oil theft, an environmental catastrophe is unfolding, and at the same time, the United Nations does not provide any assessment of what is happening.”

The Syrian government has often condemned the illegal occupation of northeast Syria by US troops.

Washington alleges that US presence in the region is aimed at ‘preventing’ oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of ISIS.

However, during his time in office, former US president Donald Trump openly admitted on several occasions that US forces were in Syria specifically for its oil.