Asked Assad to Leave Syria, Pentagon: Bad Policy
Through the International Sindonews News: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has confirmed that US troops must leave Syria and Damascus ready to negotiate with US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
Responding to Assad's appeal, the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie said that every interested party in Syria must understand that attacking US forces or coalition partners would be a bad policy.
"We are there, nothing has changed, the maintenance of the conflict zone is important and we will be looking very seriously at any action that tends to change that," he said as quoted by Sputnik last Friday (01/06/2018).
The statement came after Syrian President Bashar Assad pointed out in an interview with Russia Today that Damascus will continue to strengthen the air defense, saying that he does not exclude other US attacks anytime as long as Washington stomps on international law.
Assad also stressed that although his administration is ready for peace talks with US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the military option remains on the table. He insisted that the areas in Syria currently under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces would be recaptured with Americans or without Americans.
"It is our land, it is our right, it is our duty to liberate (the districts), and America should leave. Somehow, they will go," Assad underlined.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump raised the idea of withdrawing American troops from Syria, but senior Pentagon officials and State Department officials reacted by saying that US troops would remain in this Arab country.
The US-led coalition has launched an airstrike in Syria since 2014, on an anti-ISIS mission not approved by either the Syrian government or the UN. Currently, an estimated 2,000 US troops have been deployed there.
Reference:
https://international.sindonews.com
https://mandrigunawanberita.wordpress.com