And we cannot reach any higher

SECRETARY TILLERSON We understand that some Americans are skeptical of continued involvement in Syria and question the benefits of maintaining a presence in such a troubled country. However, it is vital for the United States to remain engaged in Syria for several reasons: Ungoverned spaces, especially in conflict zones, are breeding grounds for ISIS and other terrorist organizations. The fight against ISIS is not over. There are bands of ISIS fighters who are already beginning to wage an insurgency. We and our allies will hunt them down and kill them or capture them. Similarly, we must persist in Syria to thwart al-Qaida, which still has a substantial presence and base of operations in northwest Syria. As in the years before 9/11, al-Qaida is eager to create a sanctuary to plan and launch attacks on the West. Although ISIS is the terrorist group that has dominated the headlines most in the last few years, al-Qaida is still a grave threat and is looking to reconstitute in new and powerful ways. Additionally, a total withdrawal of American personnel at this time would restore Assad and continue his brutal treatment against his own people. A murderer of his own people cannot generate the trust required for long-term stability. A stable, unified, and independent Syria ultimately requires post-Assad leadership in order to be successful. Continued U.S. presence to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS will also help pave the way for legitimate local civil authorities to exercise responsible governance of their liberated areas. The departure of Assad through the UN-led Geneva process will create the conditions for a durable peace within Syria and security along the borders for Syria’s neighbors.

Damascus, SANA- The Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said on Thursday that a U.S military presence in Syria was illegitimate and represented a blatant breach of the international law and an aggression on Syria’s national sovereignty. “The internal affairs in any country in the world is an exclusive right of the people of this country, thus nobody has the right to only give his opinion in that because this violates the international law and contradicts the most important theories of the constitutional law,” a source at the ministry said commenting on statements of U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. The source added that the US presence and all what the US administration has done aim at protecting Daesh (ISIS) terrorist organization which was created by US former President Barak Obama.

We warn the Turkish leadership that if it initiates hostilities in the Afrin area, it will be considered an act of aggression by the Turkish army on the sovereignty of the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic in accordance with international law known to the Turkish side," Miqdad said in a statement.

Oltre al fatto che in effetti gli americani in Siria, specie nel nord, non battono più un colpo contro Daesh da settimane ormai, c'è da registrare un cambio di programma.
Da "andiamo, sterminiamo Daesh e torniamo" del piano di Trump, al "rimaniamo finchè" di Tillerson, evidentemente stimolato dai risultati di una riunione del gruppo di lavoro USA-Israele che a fine Dicembre si è incontrato per elaborare una strategia anti-Iran a vari livelli.
Strategia che in ottica americana pare non esistere.
A ciò si aggiungono le bizze turche.
E il pasticcio è servito.