US will be in Syria for the long haul, says Rex Tillerson
2018-01-19 14:48:17 source：The Times
January 19, 2018
America is planning to maintain a long-term military presence in Syria to counter Iranian expansionism, curb Russia’s influence in the region and prepare the ground for “post-Assad leadership”.
Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state, said: “US disengagement from Syria would provide Iran the opportunity to further strengthen its position.”
He vowed that the US would not repeat the mistakes of the Obama administration, whose withdrawal from Iraq allowed Islamic State to take root. “We cannot allow history to repeat itself in Syria,” he said during a speech at Stanford University, California.
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