Skip to main content

Intel: Mattis on 'same sheet of music' as Bolton on US troops Syria

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis attends a news conference in Skopje, Macedonia September 17, 2018. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski - RC1E9CBF6200
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis attends a news conference in Skopje, Macedonia, Sept. 17, 2018. — REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

Just hours after national security adviser John Bolton told reporters at the United Nations that 2,200 US troops would stay in Syria “as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis backed him up, signaling that American forces won’t be coming out of the war-torn country anytime soon.

Full quote: “I think we are on the same sheet of music. It is the Geneva process, and the Geneva process has got to come to a conclusion if we’re to see this end. I’ve talked to [Bolton] so far today twice. There is no daylight between his appreciation of the situation and mine.”

Related Topics

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in