OREANDA-NEWS The introduction of US troops in Iraq in 2003 under George W. Bush and the further actions of the US army in the Middle East region were the biggest mistake in the history of the country. This was stated by US President Donald Trump in an interview with the Hill.

"Obama also made a mistake by withdrawing troops from the Middle East. However, to appear there, in my opinion, was the greatest mistake in our history", - said the current President.

According to him, this decision cost Washington $7 trillion and millions of lives.

The US and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003. The official reason was called the connection of Saddam Hussein's regime with international terrorism, in particular, banned in Russia by the al-Qaeda movement.

"We can understand the civil war. Civil war is civil war. It's different. The introduction of our troops to the middle East, I will tell you, is a bad decision for the country," the US President said.

According to the Pentagon, the cost of fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria from 2001 to 2018 amounted to 1.52 trillion dollars.

According to Brown University, as of September 2017, the US spent $ 5.6 trillion on two wars, as well as on military operations in Pakistan and Syria. In addition, this amount includes the costs of national security and health care of veterans.

In April, Trump said that in the near future will decide on the final withdrawal of the US military from Syria. White house press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed that the US military will leave the Arab Republic "as quickly as possible." Pentagon chief James Mattis later spoke about the conditions under which the US will withdraw its troops. Among them, the destruction of the "Islamic state" (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) and the training of American soldiers of the local military.