White House: US will not abandon mission in Syria despite deadly attacks

(Patria) - The US will not abandon its nearly eight-year presence in Syria, where it is fighting remnants of ISIL, despite attacks on American forces there last week by an Iran-backed militia, the White House said, Reuters reports.

A drone attack on March 23 on a US base in Syria killed one American contractor and wounded another along with five US soldiers. The US subsequently retaliated with strikes on bases of pro-Iranian forces in the region.

"There has been no change in the US presence in Syria as a result of what has happened over the last few days," Kirby said, adding that the mission against ISIL will continue.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the US strikes on Sunday, saying Washington had lied about what was targeted and vowing to "end the American occupation" of Syrian territory.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the strikes, accusing US forces of targeting "civilian locations".

US forces were first deployed to Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against ISIL in partnership with a Kurdish-led group called the Syrian Democratic Forces. Around 900 US soldiers are in Syria, most of them in the eastern part of the country.