People stand on rubble of damaged buildings after an airstrike in the besieged town of Hamoria, Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria Janauary 9, 2018. REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh
January 15, 2018
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian army is determined to end any form of U.S. presence in the country, state television said on Monday, citing an official source in the foreign ministry.
The U.S.-led coalition is working with Syrian militias to set up a new border force of 30,000 personnel. The move has also heightened Turkey’s anger over U.S. support for Kurdish-dominated forces in Syria.
The Syrian foreign ministry blasted the U.S.-backed border force as a “blatant assault” on its sovereignty, state media had also said.
(Reporting by Ellen Francis; Editing by Catherine Evans)
