BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government said on Monday areas held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) would be brought back under its control through military force or the kind of “reconciliation agreements”.

“The only card remaining in the hands of the Americans and their allies is the SDF, and it will be dealt with through the two methods used by the Syrian state: national reconciliation or the liberation of the areas that they control through force,” Syrian Defence Minister General Ali Abdullah Ayoub said.

“The Americans must leave and will leave,” he said.

Large areas of Syria have been brought back under government control through “reconciliation agreements” that have typically been concluded after the military defeat of rebel forces.