Scott Morrison continue war on ISIS Middle East one day after Trump withdrew US troops from region

Scott Morrison has vowed to continue the war on ISIS in the Middle East, just one day after Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. 

The Prime Minister said in a statement released on Friday that Australia ‘cannot be complacent’ about the threat of Islamic extremism and will continue its presence in the region alongside its international partners. 

His statement was made just hours after US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced his resignation, citing policy disagreements with the president.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a joint statement with Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and Foreign Minister Marise Payne that Australia will ‘continue to provide security, humanitarian and development assistance in the ­region.’

The government will also move to seek to change the Australian Citizenship Act so dual citizens convicted of a terrorism offence could lose Australian citizenship.  

‘We’ll do everything we can to stay ahead of the evolving threat of terrorism to keep Australians safe,’ the Prime Minister said.

‘The terrorist attack on Bourke Street in Melbourne on 9 November, and the recent arrests which thwarted an alleged terrorist attack, highlight once again the importance of robust measures to protect our community.

‘Australia cannot be complacent.

‘Our changes will make it easier to strip terrorists of their Australian citizenship. Terrorists forfeit their rights to be Australians when they carry out their evil acts.’

The government statement defended NATO’s presence in the region, saying: ‘Both the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh (Islamic State) in Iraq and Syria continue to deny terrorist organisation safe havens in which to plan and export terror ­attacks across the globe, including the Indo-Pacific.’ 

Mr Trump controversially asserted on Wednesday that ISIS had been defeated in Syria

Mr Trump controversially asserted on Wednesday that ISIS had been defeated in Syria. 

‘We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,’ he said in a tweet.  

He also indicated there could be a scale-down of American troops in Afghanistan, causing what European Council on Foreign Relations co-chair Carl Bildt described as ‘a morning of alarm in Europe’.   

‘We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,’ he said in a tweet