US Troop Pullout From Syria Demonstrates Washington's Defeat In Region - Syrian Official

The US troop pullout from Syria signifies Washington's defeat in the region, and, since its presence was never authorized by Damascus, it has to leave in any case, Syrian Deputy Defense Minister Mahmoud Shawa told Sputnik on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th April, 2019) The US troop pullout from Syria signifies Washington's defeat in the region, and, since its presence was never authorized by Damascus, it has to leave in any case, Syrian Deputy Defense Minister Mahmoud Shawa told Sputnik on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump said in December that he had decided to pull out troops from Syria promising to bring about 2,000 US servicemen back home. In March, the president confirmed that a total of 400 US troops would remain in Syria.

"US withdrawal from the region is a clear signal of its defeat and of its attempts to justify its presence to support terrorism. US presence on Syria is illegal. Their troops will withdraw from Syria anyway," Shawa said.

United States and its allies have been conducting operations against the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) in Syria and neighboring Iraq since 2014. The US-led coalition's actions in Syria have never been authorized by either Damascus or the UN Security Council.