"Big questions arise around the US decision not to withdraw troops from Syria after the terrorists' defeat," says Maria Zakharova. Information that Washington plans to leave its troops on the Republic's territory, and to form new public authority in the northern part of Syria was published by the Washington Post. The MFA's spokeswoman called this behavior closely fitting the definition of foreign occupation.
Maria Zakharova, MFA Spokeswoman: "The Minister of Defense, James Mattis, on November 13th, openly stated to the journalists that the American military will not leave Syria, and I quote, "Until there's progress in political reconciliation," the terms of reaching which, the US will apparently decide arbitrarily, as we understand. This is how we understood it. Several times we've pointed out to Washington that these types of statements raise questions, big questions about the underlying intentions of the presence of the US and Coalition military forces in Syria. The United States of America is stationed in Syria unlawfully. It's not just doing so without having obtained the proper permission or an invitation from Damascus' side. They're doing this against the will of Syria's lawful government. They're there in defiance. Without any additional, or other lawful grounds. So in reality, if we speak strictly in terms of definitions, their behavior closely resembles the concept of foreign occupation".
