Australian Defense minister Bourne (Christopher Pyne) recently visited troops in Iraq and announced that Australia would be there until work was completed, the Australian news agency reported.
Bourne assured Middle East leaders that Australia had no intention of withdrawing from the war-torn country. Since 2014, 600 troops have been stationed in Iraq.
He also said Australian troops could play a greater role in the Middle East if the United States withdrew rapidly.
Earlier, U.S. President Trump (Donald Trump) announced that U.S. troops would withdraw from Syria and withdraw their operations in Afghanistan, saying the ISIS (Islamic State) had been defeated.
Trump said he did not intend to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, but that reductions in Syrian and Afghan forces could have significant follow-up results.
"if U.S. troops leave Syria within six months, the presence of Australian troops in Iraq will have a significant impact," Bourne told Sunday Telegraph during a visit to Iraq.
He said: "if the US military is not in Syria, will we feel safe?" "if the answer to this question is yes, it may mean that we will consolidate Australia's position in Iraq, and we will complete the work."
After meeting with Middle East leaders, Bourne called on the United States to clarify its Middle East policy.
"the meaning of the Trump presidential statement is not clear enough, and the people I talked to naturally worry about it," he said. I think all U. S. allies and alliance members in Afghanistan and Iraq want to know what American policy means to us and to them. "
Middle Eastern leaders worry that a quick US withdrawal from Syria could bring ISIS back.
At its heyday, the terrorist group occupied 1 / 3 of Iraq's territory, especially on the border with Syria.
