'Do we want to be in Syria forever?' Trump asks

US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to pull American troops out of Syria, saying the United States cannot stay there "forever."

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight....," Trump tweeted on Thursday.

Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

He said in another tweet that one should be surprised by the abrupt announcement.

"Getting out of Syria was no surprise. I’ve been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer."

Getting out of Syria was no surprise. I’ve been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer. Russia, Iran, Syria & others are the local enemy of ISIS. We were doing there work. Time to come home & rebuild. #MAGA

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

He later tweeted that fighting Daesh terrorists in Syria, which he referred to as Daesh, would be up to the Syrian government troops aided by Russian and Iranian forces.

....Russia, Iran, Syria & many others are not happy about the U.S. leaving, despite what the Fake News says, because now they will have to fight ISIS and others, who they hate, without us. I am building by far the most powerful military in the world. ISIS hits us they are doomed!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

Trump's sudden announcement on Wednesday that US troops had defeated Daesh terrorists in Syria and he sought to pull some 2,000 US troops out of Syria took US lawmakers, and possibly others , including the Pentagon, by surprise. 

The move to withdraw US forces from Syria, which reportedly will also put an end to the US air campaign there, was strongly criticized by a number of Senate Republicans.

Outgoing Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (Tenn.) called the move “in many ways even worse” than the withdrawal from Iraq. 

“This is chaos,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) told reporters and Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) called the move a "terrible decision".  

Trump's decision to pull US troops from Syria met with Russia's positive reaction.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Maria Zakharova said on Channel One on Wednesday the US pullout creates good prospects for a political solution in that Arab country,

US forces in Syria were becoming a dangerous obstacle to finding a peace settlement, she said. She accused Washington of keeping its forces there illegally.

"From being a factor in the fight against terrorism, the illegal American presence in Syria is becoming a dangerous obstacle to the path to a settlement," she warned journalists.

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