WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence says U.S. troops in Syria are “coming home.”
Pence spoke at a gala in Washington, DC Tuesday, and insisted that a ceasefire he helped broker between Syria and Turkey “has held.”
“In the midst of all of it, our troops are coming home,” he told the gala. “That is our aim and that is our prayer.”
President Trump has been broadly criticized for deciding earlier this month to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, paving the way for a Turkish military operation against the Kurds, who were a U.S. ally against ISIS.
Pence said U.S. troops took the last piece of ISIS-held territory earlier this year.
“Now that our military and our allies have achieved our objective against ISIS, President Trump is keeping his word to the American people,” he said. “Our troops are starting to come home.”
Pence said the U.S. has been communicating with both sides in hopes that a permanent ceasefire could soon take hold.
(PHOTO: Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
