Pompeo: US to Pull Forces from Syria, Continue Fight Against ISIL

TEHRAN (defapress)- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States will withdraw its troops from Syria while continuing the battle against ISIL.

News ID: 74890

Date: 10 January 2019 - 19:54

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo on Thursday, Pompeo stated that Washington remained a steadfast partner in the Middle East, Al-Jazeera reported.

"President [Donald] Trump's decision to withdraw our troops has been made. We will do that," the top diplomat added.

Earlier this week, US National Security Advisor John Bolton laid out conditions for the pullout, including the defeat of ISIL in Syria and guarantees for the safety of Washington's Kurdish allies in the campaign, who have been threatened with an imminent offensive by Turkey.

Bolton's comments were widely seen as backtracking on Trump's announcement.

But Pompeo insisted the two statements were entirely consistent.

"There is no contradiction whatsoever. This is a story made up by the media," Pompeo stated, underscoring Washington's continuing commitment to preventing any resurgence by ISIL.

Pompeo is in Egypt as part of a Middle East tour aimed at reassuring Arab partners after President Donald Trump announced his plans to withdraw US forces from Syria.

He met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Ittihadeya Palace on Thursday to discuss security and economic cooperation.

He is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the American University in Cairo on Washington's broader Middle East objectives.

Pompeo arrived in Egypt after stops in Jordan and Iraq where he sought to reassure leaders that withdrawing from Syria does not mean the US is abandoning the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group or easing pressure on Iran.

He has chosen Cairo as the symbolic venue for the speech seemingly intended to repudiate the message in former US President Barack Obama's landmark address to the Muslim world from the Egyptian capital when he first took office.

Obama pledged engagement with Iran and an understanding of the need for freedom and democracy that led to the Arab Spring revolutions.

Pompeo intends to assert the Trump message that Iran is to be countered at all costs while assuring that the US remains deeply committed to the region despite the America First rhetoric emanating from the White House.

From Egypt, Pompeo will travel to the Gulf Arab states - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait - to press the case.

In Saudi Arabia, he faces the thorny problem of dealing with global outrage against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (also known as MbS), who is accused of conspiring to murder Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

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