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In a Break With Obama, Hillary Clinton Backs No-Fly Zone in Syria

The former secretary of state and 2016 presidential candidate backed a no-fly zone and humanitarian corridors a day after Russia launched airstrikes in Syria.
Photo by Charlie Neibergall/AP

In a decisive split from the Obama administration, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton asserted her support for carving out a no-fly zone in Syria, a day after Russia launched airstrikes to support the Syrian regime.

"I personally would be advocating now for a no-fly zone and humanitarian corridors to try to stop the carnage on the ground and from the air, to try to provide some way to take stock of what's happening, to try to stem the flow of refugees," Clinton said in an interview with Boston's WHDH-TV Thursday.

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The Obama administration has sidestepped calls for a no-fly zone — airspace one side designates as forbidden to another side, potentially with the threat that unauthorized aircraft will be shot down — in Syria, citing concerns about how it would be enforced. Creating a no-fly zone would also draw the US much more overtly into the conflict.

Related: After Denying Claims They're Killing Civilians, Russia Has Launched Fresh Airstrikes in Syria

Clinton, who said in 2012 when she was secretary of state that she would consider proposals to impose a no-fly zone, solidified her stance this week in favor of such a zone amid the renewed spotlight on a surging humanitarian crisis that since 2011 has caused millions of Syrians to flee the conflict in their country.

Her statement aso came shortly after Russia began launching airstrikes in Syria Wednesday in what it said was effort to push back the Islamic State (IS). Of the 36 Syrians killed in the first wave of aerial attacks, none were deemed to be militants. The head of Syria's main opposition group said that some children were among the civilian casualties, while the US raised concerns Russia's purported bombardment of IS was a pretext to instead attack rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — both claims Moscow has denied.

The Clinton campaign did not immediately respond to VICE News's request for comment on a specific plan or course of action on the no-fly zone.

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Foreign military intervention and imposition of no-fly zones in Libya in 2011 were largely credited with helping bring about about the end of Muammar Qaddafi's regime after that nation's months-long civil war. Turkey has been at the forefront of calls for a similar zone to be established in Syria, as the bloody civil conflict continues to spill across its border. Advocates say a no-fly zone would stem civilian deaths caused by barrel bombs dropped by Assad's forces.

But the White House has continued to resist the appeals.

"On the no-fly zone, our position on that hasn't changed, which is at this point that's not something that we're considering," White House Press Secretary Josh Ernest told reporters on Tuesday. "It raises a whole set of logistical questions about how exactly what would be enforced, what sort of resources would be used to actually protect that area. So that's why at this point we've indicated that that's not something that we're considering right now."

In 2013, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey estimated a no-fly zone over Syria could cost "as much as a billion dollars per month over the course of a year."

Establishing such a zone could also portend the "loss of US aircraft, which would require us to insert personnel recovery forces," he said. "It may also fail to reduce the violence or shift the momentum because the regime relies overwhelmingly on surface fires — mortars, artillery, and missiles."

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Clinton's statement came at the same time as similar calls from GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina and other Republicans seeking to differentiate their foreign policy goals from Obama's. Congressional Republicans continue to criticize the White House's efforts in Syria, and blame the administration for allowing Russia's encroachment into the conflict.

Related: Iranian Ground Troops Are Joining Russians in Syrian Offensive, Say Reports

"Putin has this opening because of the absence of any US strategy in Syria," said Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a member of the Armed Services Committee.

The White House maintains that Russia's involvement is the result of a weakened Assad regime.

Follow Liz Fields on Twitter: @lianzifields