Syria Joins Iran in Calling for U.S. Forces to Leave Middle East after Iraq Votes Them Out – By Tom O’Connor (Newsweek) / Jan 14 2020
Syria has joined Iran in calling for U.S. forces to withdraw from the Middle East amid soaring tensions between Washington and Tehran that compelled Iraqi lawmakers to vote for troops to leave the country.
Syrian Prime Minister Emad Khamis met Tuesday with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, and called for an end to U.S. troops operating in the country for years without the government’s permission, adding that other regional powers should also step up in calling for U.S. military withdrawals.
“The presence of Americans in Syria is a sign of occupation, and we believe that all nations and governments must stand up to their unlawful presence in the region,” Khamis said, according to the Iranian leader’s office.
Rouhani, for his part, said that “the nations of the region should not hesitate to end the U.S. military presence in the region and expel these aggressors,” according to the readout.
The move comes after the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Quds Force commander Major General Qassem Soleimani earlier this month in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that fueled outrage among Washington’s foes abroad. Days after the slaying, a mostly Shiite Muslim vote in the Iraq parliament called for an end to the U.S. military presence there.
Continue to article: https://www.newsweek.com/syria-joins-iran-call-us-leave-iraq-1482134
