Iran’s IRGC: US pullout from Syria sign of defeat

The deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out US troops from Syria is a sign of Washington’s defeat in the region. 

The decision is an “obvious retreat and the defeat and burial of US policies and strategies in the region,” Brigadier Hossein Salami said on Saturday.

“They spent $7 trillion in the region, and are leaving today without any achievements,” said the general on the sidelines of a conference on “40 years of plots and 40 years of resistance” in Tehran.

Salami was apparently referring to Trump’s remarks during a sneak trip to Iraq on Thursday and his acknowledgement of concerns about visiting Iraq.

“Pretty sad when you spend $7 trillion in the Middle East, and going in has to be under this massive cover with planes all over and all of the greatest equipment in the world, and you do everything to get in safely,” the US president said.

Trump’s decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria has shocked and angered many American politicians who want to see the back of President Bashar al-Assad.

On Friday, leading US Senator Lindsey Graham warned in a tweet about a “major disaster” if Syrian Kurdish militants aligned with Assad following Trump’s decision.

“If reports accurate about Kurds aligning with Assad, major disaster in the making,” he said.

Graham’s remarks came after the Kurdish residents of Manbij asked the Syrian government to retake the city following the US pledge to withdraw troops from the Arab country.

The Syrian army said later it had entered the city as it pledged to guarantee “full security for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area.”

Syria army agrees to Afrin deployment in deal with Kurds’

The Syrian government reportedly reaches an agreement with Kurdish militants to deploy troops to the Afrin district and help counter Turkish attacks.

“Nightmare for Turkey and eventually Israel,” Graham said, adding that the withdrawal would hand over a big win to Russia, Iran and the Syrian government.

Iran has been giving military advisory support to Syria’s anti-terror operations at Damascus’ request.

Israel has, on the other hand, been lending military support and safe havens to militants since 2011. The Israeli military also regularly targets Syrian military defenses and supplies intended for Damascus-allied anti-terror fighters.