Syria wants US military out of country

BEIRUT: The Syrian government says a US military presence in Syria represents an “aggression” against Syrian sovereignty and has vowed to free the country from any “illegitimate” foreign presence.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry was responding yesterday to a speech by the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, on Wednesday in which he signalled that US forces would stay in parts of Syria indefinitely.

“The American military presence on Syrian land is illegitimate and represents a blatant breach of international law and an aggression against national sovereignty,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Syria would continue its “relentless war against terrorist movements with their different names until every inch of Syrian soil is cleansed”.

It would work with “the same determination” to free Syria of any “illegitimate foreign presence”.

Tillerson signalled an openended military presence as part of a broader strategy to prevent Islamic State’s resurgence, to pave the way diplomatically for the eventual departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and to curtail Iran’s influence.

The US has about 2 000 military personnel in Syria, deployed as part of the US-led coalition’s campaign against Islamic State.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the government was not in need of US dollars “stained with the blood of Syrians”.

PICTURE: AP A woman walks among ruins in the Bab Dreib suburb of Homs, Syria. The Syrian government has said it does not want a continued US military presence in the country.