Future of U.S. Military in Syria Decision Coming Soon, Trump Says

Calls out Russian plane downing

President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber on January 30, 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber on January 30, 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
Posted September 18, 2018 at 3:08pm

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will soon make a decision on the future of American military forces in Syria, calling a downed Russian plane by Bashar al-Assad’s forces a “very sad thing.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointed a finger of blame for the shoot-down on Israeli military forces, but Trump told reporters at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart that all initial indications are Syrian forces downed the aircraft.

Trump withheld any criticism of Putin.

The U.S. commander in chief also signaled the U.S. fight against the Islamic State group in Syria could soon end.

“We’re very close to being finished with that job,” he said of the fight there against ISIS. “And then we’re going to make a determination as to what we’re going to do.”