MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Defense Vladimir Shamanov has castigated Washington’s ‘brazenness’ in seeking to keep its troop presence in Syria after quashing the terrorists.

"This is utter brazenness, these are phonies, breaking into someone else’s abode," he told reporters on Thursday.

"I specifically meant them, a third power, when I said that any future post-war settlement process will depend on outside factors. First and foremost, the Americans with their unpredictable behavior," he stressed.

The Washington Post earlier reported that the US authorities plan to maintain their military presence in northern Syria after defeating IS (Islamic State, a terror group, outlawed in Russia), in particular to prevent the Iranian-supported government forces from regaining control there. According to the newspaper, "the defeat of the Islamic State in Syria could be imminent" and the American military will have no justification for remaining on the republic’s soil. "An abrupt US withdrawal could complete Assad’s sweep of Syrian territory and help guarantee his political survival - an outcome that would constitute a win for Iran, his close ally," the report says.