US Military Not Planning to Leave Syria Until Geneva Process Success

The US military are not planning to leave Syria until the Syrian settlement process in Geneva brings success, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters on Monday that the US military would only leave Syria after it is evident the Syrian settlement process in Geneva is successful.

"We're not just going to walk away right now before the Geneva process has cracked. That doesn't mean everyone stays there. That doesn't mean for certain — certain troops are leaving. I'm just saying that we're going to condition — and I've honestly not made those decisions. We're going to make sure we set the conditions for a diplomatic solution… Not just, you know, fight the cop part of it and then say good luck on the rest of it. We did it for that — to support the diplomatic solution," Mattis said.

The US-led coalition of some 70 members has been conducting airstrikes, as well as ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire against the Daesh terror group in Syria, as well as Iraq. The coalition's strikes in Syria are authorized neither by Assad nor by the UN Security Council.

In addition, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been receiving military support from the United States in fighting terrorists.

According to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, the eighth round of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva will begin on November 28.