US forces in Syria ‘source of instability’: Iran

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that the presence of US military forces in Syria was a “mistake” and a “source of instability” in the region, as reported on Anadolu Agency.

“The presence of US forces in the region was a wrong, irrational and tension-inducing move, giving rise to regional instability and insecurity,” ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said in statements cited by the official IRNA news agency. 

“The detailed examination of the region’s developments during recent decades and to this day shows the presence of the foreign element under various pretexts in this important and sensitive area bore no fruit except creating tension and insecurity and escalating disputes,” he said.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump ordered all of the US forces in Syria to withdraw from the country, saying Daesh’s defeat was his sole reason for being in the civil war-torn country.

READ: Trump’s Syria withdrawal condemned by coalition members, SDF

The US began its air campaign in Syria in 2014, deploying troops to the country to assist in the anti-Daesh fight alongside local partners the year after.

Reports have suggested US forces will leave within 60 to 100 days.

Iran and Shia group Hezbollah are strong allies of Syria’s Bashar Al-Assad regime, the forces of which have been fighting opposition groups in a deadly civil war since 2011.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and millions more displaced by the conflict.

READ: Syria experiencing ‘unprecedented displacement level’