US does not want to be 'policeman of the Middle East', says Donald Trump

He faced intense opposition to his abrupt announcement Wednesday that Islamic State had been defeated in the region

The United States does not want to be the "Policeman" of the Middle East, US President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday, as he defended his controversial decision to pull US forces out of Syria.

"Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East (West Asia), getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight....," he tweeted.

Trump added: “Russia, Iran, Syria & many others are not happy about the US leaving,