CENTCOM Chief, UAE Defense Brass Talk Keeping Pressure on Daesh in Iraq, Syria

© Olivier DoulieryMarine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of US Central Command, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021, on Capitol Hill in Washington. - Sputnik International, 1920, 19.10.2021
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Frank McKenzie met and discussed with senior Emirati defense officials the importance of maintaining pressure on Daesh* in Syria, Iraq and other countries, CENTCOM said on Tuesday.
"The leaders agreed on the importance of maintaining the momentum of bilateral defense cooperation, bringing the conflict in Yemen to a peaceful conclusion and keeping pressure on Daesh’s remnants in Iraq, Syria and other countries," CENTCOM said in a press release.
McKenzie said in the release that cooperation between the United States and the United Arab Emirates has helped disrupt the terrorists' ability to organize, plan attacks and spread its propaganda.
He also thanked the UAE for temporarily hosting American citizens and Afghan evacuees following the US exit from Afghanistan in August.
Hezbollah and Syrian flags flutter on a military vehicle in Western Qalamoun, Syria August 28, 2017. - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.10.2021
Syria’s Anti-Daesh Allies Vow to Respond to Alleged Israeli, US Aggression Over Palmyra
Last month, Damascus once again called on the United States (and Turkey) to withdraw their troops from the Arab republic, and warned separatists in the country's north against seeking help from outside forces.
Syria, which has been engulfed in a civil war since 2011, has never invited the United States to the country, which means the American troops' presence there is illegal. Moreover, Damascus has repeatedly pointed out that the reason behind the US presence in the Arab Republic is to plunder the country's resources, particularly, the oil fields in north-eastern Syria.
As for Iraq, US President Joe Biden said in July that by the end of 2021, the US combat mission in the country would come to a close and after December 31, 2021, the US will be expected to switch to training and assisting Iraqi forces to counter Daesh.
The issue of pulling foreign forces out of Iraq was raised by the Iraqi parliament in early 2020, when the US killed senior Iranian special forces commander Qasem Soleimani near the Baghdad airport in an airstrike without telling the Iraqi side. Lawmakers voted in support of a resolution calling for a total pullout. Since then, the US handed a number of military sites back over to Iraq, including airbases and army headquarters.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states
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