5th Special Forces
© CC0 / Staff Sgt. Jacob Connor / 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
US President Donald Trump announced his intention to pull out American forces from Syria in mid-December, explaining the move by citing the apparent defeat of the Daesh* terrorist group. However, no exact timeframe was set for the withdrawal.

Baghdad and Washington have reached an agreement allowing US troops to be withdrawn from Syria via Iraqi territory, Chief of Staff and Adviser to the Iraqi prime minister Abdulkarim Hashim Mostafa told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"They (the troops) will pass through Iraqi territory. Of course, there is an agreement between Iraq and the US, our friend and ally, that they will leave Syria soon and they will go through Iraqi territory with the permission of the Iraqi authorities," he added.

Washington assured Baghdad that the withdrawal of US troops from Syria will be completed once they finish their military operation east of the Euphrates, and it won't later than 1 April, Abdulkarim Hashim Mostaf stressed.

"Not later than the first of April, everything must be done before this time, this is what the United States told us. As soon as their operation in Eastern Euphrates and Banguze is completed, they will begin to withdraw," Abdulkarim Hashim Mostaf said on the sidelines of the Middle East conference organised by the Valdai international discussion club.

In December, US President Donald Trump declared victory over the Daesh terrorist group and said he would withdraw some 2,000 US troops currently deployed in the Middle Eastern country.