Tillerson: The US military will remain in Syria, against IS, Iran and Assad

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the US military will remain in Syria until the complete destruction of the Islamic State, but also to counter Iranian influence and to help overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"It is crucial for our national interests that we maintain a diplomatic and military presence in Syria," Tillerson said yesterday in a lecture on American policy in the Syrian conflict.

According to him, the primary goal of the military mission will continue to be preventing the "return of the Islamic State". "The Islamic State has one foot in the grave and, given the US military presence in Syria, it will soon be with both," Tillerson said.

The Secretary of State urged "not to repeat the mistake of 2011", when "the premature departure from Iraq allowed al-Qaeda to survive" in that country and contribute to the birth of the Islamic State.

Also, Tillerson said, the US withdrawal would give Iran "a golden opportunity to strengthen its position in Syria", where Tehran is already present in support of Assad. "We must ensure that the resolution of the conflict does not allow Iran to get closer to the great goal of controlling the region," he said.

For the first time, he linked the US military presence in Syria with the need to contribute to Assad's departure.

"The complete withdrawal of American troops at this stage would help Assad continue to oppress his people. A stable, united and independent Syria needs, after all, to get a post-Assad leadership," Tillerson said and assessed that the "departure" of Assad would , within the peace process in Geneva, "created conditions for lasting peace".