ANF
NEWS DESK
Thursday، 8 Feb 2018، 00:30
Speaking to Associated Press from a military outpost in Manbij، General Funk pledged on Wednesday that American troops would remain in the northern Syrian Kurdish town of Manbij despite Ankara’s demands for a U.S. pullout.
“We're here to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS is maintained in this area،” Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk said during a visit to U.S. forces in Manbij.
Funk told reporters in Manbij that the U.S. would continue to support the Syrian fighters despite tensions with Turkey and that a continued U.S. presence in Syria’s north is aimed at de-escalating tensions.
“When nobody else could do it they retook Raqqa،” Funk added، referring to the former capital of the self-proclaimed IS caliphate in Syria. “I think that has earned them a seat at the table.”
#08-02-2018#