US forces in Syria are focused on fighting the remnants of the Islamic State group and are not guarding oil fields as previously ordered by ex-president Donald Trump, a US defense official said Monday.

Russia is not pleased with the pace set by Damascus at the Constitutional Committee talks in Geneva. It is also awaiting the development of US President Joe Biden’s policy towards Syria and Washington’s broader relations with Moscow.

On Wednesday, the president of the Syrian Negotiations Committee Anas al-Abdah announced that he sent a letter to members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) stressing that the Damascus government delegation has been the obstructive party to the Committee’s work, and that the UNSC should assume its responsibility because “wasting …