US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Monday (January 7th) that the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) would not be allowed to regroup as he headed to the Middle East for an eight-day trip, AFP reported.
Leaving on a trip to eight Arab capitals, Pompeo told reporters he would show that "the US is still committed to all the missions that we have signed up for with them over the past two years".
President Donald Trump on Monday sought to end fears of an abrupt US pullout from Syria, saying the fight against ISIS is not over and that withdrawal would be done in a "prudent" manner.
"We will be leaving at a proper pace while at the same time continuing to fight ISIS and doing all else that is prudent and necessary!" Trump tweeted.
In a call, Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke of "the commitment of the US and France to the destruction of ISIS as well as plans for a strong, deliberate, and co-ordinated withdrawal of US troops from Syria", the White House said.
"They reiterated that any further use of chemical weapons in Syria must not be tolerated."
