{"id":61320,"date":"2018-01-18T03:12:32","date_gmt":"2018-01-18T03:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/18\/tillerson-signals-deeper-us-military-commitment-in-syria\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:25:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:25:09","slug":"tillerson-signals-deeper-us-military-commitment-in-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2018\/01\/18\/tillerson-signals-deeper-us-military-commitment-in-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"Tillerson signals deeper US military commitment in Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PALO ALTO, Calif. \u2014 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signaled deeper U.S. commitment to Syria on Wednesday, saying America would maintain its military presence there to prevent an Islamic State resurgence. He said the U.S. also would push for broader political changes in the Middle East country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at Stanford University after being introduced by former top diplomat Condoleezza Rice, Tillerson said the Trump administration was determined not to repeat President Barack Obama\u2019s \u201cmistake\u201d when he withdrew U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011. Republicans for years have argued the withdrawal created the opening for IS\u2019 rapid expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Tillerson stressed that U.S. forces would remain in Syria for the foreseeable future as President Donald Trump and his aides implement a new strategy to stabilize Syria, where a civil war has killed as many as a half-million people and created millions of refugees since 2011. There are currently some 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, mainly training local forces to root out remaining extremist strongholds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet us be clear, the United States will maintain a military presence in Syria focused on ensuring ISIS cannot re-emerge,\u201d Tillerson said. Recounting what he said went wrong in Iraq, Tillerson said: \u201cWe cannot allow history to repeat itself in Syria. ISIS presently has one foot in the grave and by maintaining an American military presence in Syria until the full and complete defeat of ISIS is achieved, it will soon have two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond counterterrorism, though, Tillerson outlined a much broader mission for U.S. forces in Syria than when Trump first entered office with an almost singular focus on defeating terrorists. Alongside defeating IS and al-Qaida, Tillerson cited several longshot propositions as American goals: Securing a successful U.N. peace process, getting Syrian President Bashar Assad to leave power, ridding Syria of Iran\u2019s influence and eradicating all weapons of mass destruction in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Backed by Russia and Iran, Assad has reasserted control over much of Syria. And Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. have grown worried that both of Assad\u2019s allies are now entrenched in the country, with Iran in particular posing an immediate threat to neighboring Israel. Military leaders, meanwhile, worry that Assad\u2019s inability to quell local unrest will mean that IS or another such formation is likely to reappear in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\t