Syrian Army determined to "end the presence of the US" in the country

The official told SANA that the Syrian Arab Army would thwart the "conspiracy, end the presence of the US, its agents and tools in Syria, establish full control over the entire Syrian territory and preserve the country's sovereignty."

The US maintains some 2,000 troops in Syria and has said its forces will continue to back local anti-Isis forces there until the extremist group is defeated and the area is stabilized.

The Syrian statement comes after the US-led coalition fighting Isis announced plans Sunday to boost border security in the region, a move that Syrian and Turkish officials have said would destabilize the region.

"The Coalition is working jointly with the Syrian Democratic Forces to establish and train the new Syrian Border Security Force (BSF). Currently, there are approximately 230 individuals training in the BSF's inaugural class, with the goal of a final force size of approximately 30,000," a spokesman for the US-led coalition, US Army Col. Ryan Dillon, told CNN in a statement.

The over 50,000-strong Syrian Democratic Forces are a mix of Kurdish and Arab fighters and have been the primary US-backed force fighting Isis in Syria.

The Syrian official said the US decision "came within the framework of its destructive policies which aim at fragmenting the region, fueling tensions and conflicts and hindering solutions to its crises."

"The Ministry considered any Syrian citizen who takes part in the US-backed militia as a traitor to the Syrian state and people and will be treated as one, adding that these militias will hinder reaching a political solution to the situation in Syria," SANA reported.

"The US has clashed with Syrian Army troops in the past, carrying out airstrikes against forces that were seen to pose a threat to a US base and shooting down a Syrian jet in June after it bombed Syrian Democratic Forces.

Source: CNN . Alalam