ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The United States is going to leave Syria, but President Donald Trump refused say when during his State of the Union Address late on Tuesday.
"Great nations do not fight endless wars," he said referring to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
US action in Syria has been under the guise of preserving Iraqi sovereignty.
"When I took office, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square-miles in Iraq and Syria. Just two years ago. Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty killers," Trump added.
In December, Trump announced his intention to withdraw US forces from Syria. However, he has faced criticism within his own party for a preemptive pullout.
"Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of ISIS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home," he said.
Trump has sought to find a middle ground. On Sunday he floated a more permanent US deployment to Iraq to act as a bulwark to Iran.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi was asked about a continued US force presence in his country.
"The parliament has its sovereignty and has our upper hand on our action as a government," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
In Iraq, the legislature is weak and typically follows the government.
"Whatever the parliament decides, we'll apply and we'll go forward. But I don't think there is an official request," Abdul-Mahdi said, referring to a US request for a continued presence.
Baghdad has repeatedly said it doesn't want to get involved in a regional tug-of-war between Iran and US-backed Saudi Arabia.
"We'll continue cooperating with our friends and we'll administer this issue constitutionally and according to the democratic principles," added the Iraqi PM.
The United States has around 2,000 forces in Syria and more than 5,000 in Iraq.
