US troops to remain in Syria
Says Tillerson as Damascus vows to free the country of foreign presence
♦ US has deployed 2,000 ground troops to Syria for hunting remnants of IS
♦ Mistrust of US over Syria continues: Turkey
The United States on Wednesday signalled an open-ended military presence in Syria as part of a broader strategy to prevent Islamic State's resurgence, pave the way diplomatically for the eventual departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and curtail Iran's influence.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in a speech at Stanford University, called for "patience" on Assad's departure - the clearest indication yet of an acknowledgment that Russia and Iran have bolstered Assad and that he is unlikely to leave power immediately.
Billed as the Trump administration's new strategy on Syria, the announcement will prolong the risks and redefine the mission for the US military, which has for years sought to define its operations in Syria along more narrow lines of battling Islamic State and has about 2,000 US ground forces in the country.
While much of the US strategy would focus on diplomatic efforts, Tillerson said: "But let us be clear: the United States will maintain a military presence in Syria, focused on ensuring ISIS cannot re-emerge," while acknowledging many Americans' skepticism of military involvement in conflicts abroad, Tillerson said.
US forces in Syria have already faced direct threats from Syrian and Iranian-backed forces, leading to the shoot-down of Iranian drones and a Syrian jet last year, as well as to tensions with Russia.
Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, had previously disclosed elements of the policy but Tillerson's speech was meant to formalize and clearly define it.
A US disengagement from Syria would provide Iran with an opportunity to reinforce its position in Syria, Tillerson said.
The Syrian government said yesterday that a US military presence in Syria represented an "aggression" against Syrian sovereignty, and vowed to free the country from any "illegitimate" foreign presence.
"The American military presence on Syrian land is illegitimate and represents a blatant breach of international law and an aggression against national sovereignty," Syrian foreign ministry statement said.
Syria would continue its "relentless war against terrorist movements with their different names until every inch of Syrian soil is cleansed" and would work with "the same determination" to free Syria of any "illegitimate foreign presence".
Turkey said yesterday it was not satisfied with Washington's attempts to allay its concern about the creation of a Syrian border force on its southern frontier, adding its "direct mistrust" of the United States continued.
Nato member Turkey has reacted angrily to a statement by the US-led coalition that it is helping set up a new 30,000-strong border force in Syria including members of the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia.