Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday that the U.S. military mission remains defeating the Islamic State and shoring up local forces, following comments by national security adviser John Bolton that troops will remain in the country until Iran militias leave.
“We are in Syria right now to defeat ISIS and destroy the geographic caliphate and make sure it doesn’t come back the moment we turn our backs. So there is going to be a little while that we’ve got to work with the locals,” Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.
He said the U.S. will not expose the Syrians freed from ISIS to a “brittle military pullout” and will remain to ensure peace and to support international peace talks.
Bolton told the Associated Press on Monday morning that the U.S. plans to remain in Syria to counter Iran, which has sent militias to the war-torn country at the invitation of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
“We’re not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders and that includes Iranian proxies and militias,” Bolton reportedly said.
Mattis and the Pentagon both referred questions about the comment to Bolton and the White House. But the defense secretary said “there is no daylight” between his position on Syria and Bolton’s position.
“Please talk with Ambassador Bolton, I think we’re on the same sheet of music,” Mattis said. “I can assure you as of my latest meeting we we’re on it and I’ve talked to him so far today twice.”
