Small Wars Journal

Mattis and Bolton: U.S. Troops Will Remain in Syria to Ensure ISIS’ Defeat, Until Iran and Proxies Leave

Tue, 09/25/2018 - 1:16am

Mattis: U.S. Troops Will Remain in Syria to Ensure ISIS’ Defeat, Support Peace Process by Corey Dickstein - Stars & Stripes

U.S. troops have been fighting Islamic State militants in Syria for four years and will remain in eastern portions of the war-torn country until American leaders are convinced the terrorist group cannot mount a return, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday.

For now, ISIS remains the sole focus for the roughly 2,000 American troops in Syria, whose objectives include aiding Syrian Democratic Forces in defeating the terrorist group and training local security forces to protect areas already purged of the group, Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.

It was a similar refrain from the defense chief who has long insisted U.S. troops were only in Syria to face down ISIS.

“Our troops are there for that one purpose right now,” Mattis said of the fight against ISIS. “We obviously have got to train up local security forces, so that ISIS and others … cannot get in. That’s part of the defeat of ISIS.”…

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Bolton: U.S. Troops Staying in Syria Until Iran Leaves by Joe Gould and Tara Copp - Defense News

The U.S. will keep a military presence in Syria until Iran withdraws its forces, a top Trump administration official said Monday.

“We’re not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders, and that includes Iranian proxies and militias,” White House national security adviser John Bolton said while in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

The pledge comes as 2,200 U.S. troops serve in Syria, nearly all of them devoted to the war against the Islamic State in the eastern third of the country. While Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have said Iran poses the bigger strategic threat, U.S. military leaders have emphasized that Iran is not their focus…

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