John Allen stepping down as US President Barack Obama’s envoy in the international coalition against ISIS has raised many questions, Al Arabiya reported.
Despite the fact that a US government official has said the White House has yet to officially accept Allen’s resignation, speculations in Washington on the reason behind his resignation are based a number of possibilities:
– His request to have Bashar Assad step down and from a transition government to govern Syria
– Washington not agreeing with his suggestion tactical informative flights
– White House turning down his Turkey’s request to establish a safe zone in order to support civilians in Syria
General Allen had convinced the Turks to allow the US use the Incirlik air base in their attacks against ISIS.
The Obama team could not provide the means for General Allen to carry out his missions on Syria, a former intelligence official said.
General Allen was seeking his country to expand its activities in Syria. He was seeking a stronger stance on Assad. However, Washington never had a definite stance on Assad despite the fact that it had announced the Syrian dictator had lost its legitimacy.