US leaving Syria ‘very soon,’ Trump says

WASHINGTON

The United States will leave Syria “very soon,” U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 29.

“We’ll be coming out of Syria like very soon. Let the other people take care of it now,” Trump told supporters during a speech in Ohio about his infrastructure proposal.

“We’re going to have 100 percent of the caliphate, as they call it—sometimes referred to as land. We’re taking it all back quickly,” he said.

Trump continued to slam U.S. spending in the Middle East, calling it futile, and argued that it detracts from domestic spending.

“We spent seven trillion dollars in the Middle East, and you know what we have for it? Nothing,” he said.

Shortly after Trump made the comments, the State Department said it was unaware of any policy change to pull the U.S. out of Syria.

There are about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria as part of the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) coalition campaign.

Prior to being ousted from office by Trump, outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. would “maintain a military presence in Syria focused on ensuring ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] cannot re-emerge.”