WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Friday said the US troops wouldwithdraw from Syria “very soon” as he lamented that America has wasted USD7 trillion in wars in the Middle East.
At the same time, he said the US was using all its resources to defeat ISISand drive them out of the captured territory. “We’re knocking the hell outof ISIS. We’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon. Let the otherpeople take of it now,” Trump said in Ohio where he had gone to deliver aspeech on infrastructure. “Very soon we’re coming out.
We’re going to have 100 per cent of the caliphate, as they call it —sometimes referred to as “land” — taking it all back quickly, quickly. Butwere going to be coming out of there real soon. Going to get back to ourcountry, where we belong, where we want to be,” he said.
Trump, in his remarks, lamented that US has wasted USD 7 trillion in warsin the Middle East. “We spent USD 7 trillion in the Middle East. We’d builda school, they’d blow it up.
We’d build it again, they’d blow it up. We’d build it again — hasn’t beenblown up yet, but it will be. But, if we want a school in Ohio to fix thewindows, you can’t get the money. If you want a school in Pennsylvania orIowa to get federal money, you can’t get the money,” he said.
“We spent USD 7 trillion in the Middle East. What we have for it? Nothing.Remember I used to say ‘keep the oil’ as a civilian. We never kept the oil.If we kept the oil, we would have been OK. If we kept the oil, we wouldn’thave ISIS. Because you know who kept a lot of the oil? ISIS. That’s howthey funded themselves. They kept the oil. We didn’t keep the oil. Stupid,stupid,” he said.
As a result, Trump said, the US has little money for its infrastructure.“We have to fight for our military. But we’re becoming so strong again. Andyou watch — not going to take very long. I’ve asked Republicans andDemocrats in Congress to come together and deliver the biggest and boldestinfrastructure plan in the last half century.
I dont think you’re going to get Democrat support very much. And youllprobably have to wait until after the election, which isn’t so long downthe road,” he said.