User Clip: We Will Not Leave Syria

"We will not leave Syria. We are not going to declare victory and go. That is not my opinion, that's the President's strategic judgement. We are going to stay for several reasons: stabilization in the vital and assistance in the north and northeast; protection of our Allies the Syrian Democratic Forces who have fought so valiantly against ISIS in the Northeast; try work to help transform the political structures in that area to a model the rest of Syria and capable of being credibly represented in a new Syrian state. But for other reasons as well including: countering Iran and its ability to enhance its presence in Syria, and serving as a weight, a force, able to help us achieve some of those broader objectives we've been speaking about in the course of this hearing."

David Satterfield, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs close