US President, Donald Trump said it was important to keep a US military presence in Iraq so that Washington can keep a close eye on Iran “because Iran is a real problem”, according to a CBS interview.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have sent weapons and thousands of soldiers to Syria to help shore up the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a 7-year civil war there.
Trump said the United States has spent a “fortune” on the Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, which he visited in December, and that the United States should hold on to it.
“One of the reasons I want to keep it is because I want to be looking a little bit at Iran because Iran is a real problem,” he said in the CBS interview.
Asked if that meant he wanted to be able to strike against Iran, Trump said, “No, because I want to be able to watch Iran. All I want to do is be able to watch.”
The president defended his decision in December to withdraw troops from Syria but refused to provide a timetable for the pullout, which drew criticism from members of his own Republican Party and concerns among some allies.
In a rebuke, the Republican-led US Senate advanced largely symbolic legislation on Thursday opposing plans for any abrupt withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
Some of the forces moving out of Syria will go to Iraq, where they can monitor any resurgence of Islamic State or other militant group and “ultimately some will be coming home,” Trump said.
He said US forces could be deployed again if there is a resurgence of militant groups like al-Qaeda. “We’ll come back if we have to,” he exclaimed.
Trump said on Thursday he would bring US troops home if a peace deal was reached to end 17 years of war in Afghanistan.
Furthermore, he told CBS he would be open to keeping a small number of troops there as well as intelligence operations to monitor for “nests” of militant activity, according to the interview taped on Friday.
