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Despite, Critics, Trump Says 'All' U.S. Troops To Leave Syria 'Now' After 'Historic Victories'

By RFE/RL December 20, 2018

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump says in a Twitter video message that "after historic victories" against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, U.S. troops are "all coming back and they're all coming back now," a plan earlier condemned by many Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

"We have won against ISIS, we've beaten them, and we've beaten them badly," he said in the video on December 19.

"Now it's time for our troops to come back home," he added.

The video posting came after confusion and some concerns were raised by U.S. lawmakers and allies in response to an earlier tweet by the president that said, "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."

U.S. officials earlier had told media outlets the president had decided to rapidly withdraw all troops from Syria, and White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said some of the 2,000-strong U.S. force had begun to leave after the militants' "territorial caliphate" had been defeated.

Reuters quoted several unidentified U.S. military commanders in Syria as saying they were surprised by the decision. In the past, U.S. commanders on the ground have voiced concerns about the effect any quick U.S. withdrawal would have on U.S-backed fighters there.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong Trump ally, said the president's decision to withdraw troops at this time would be "a mistake" and a "big win" for the IS group, the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and its allies -- Russia and Iran.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio called the move a "terrible mistake." Democrat Jack Reed said it represented a "betrayal" of Kurdish allies and is "further evidence of President Trump's inability to lead on the world stage."

Britain, which has troops participating in the U.S.-led coalition in Syria, said IS remained a threat even though it held no territory and that "much remains to be done."

"We must not lose sight of the threat they pose," The British Foreign Office said. "Even without territory, Daesh [IS] will remain a threat."

"As the United States has made clear, these developments in Syria do not signal the end of the global coalition or its campaign. We will continue to work with members of the coalition on achieving this."

U.S. air strikes in Syria began in 2014, with ground forces entering in 2015.

There are currently around 2,000 American troops in Syria, many of them special operations forces working with an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias battling the IS group.

Most U.S. soldiers are based in northeastern Syria, where they had been helping to rid the area of IS fighters, but pockets of militants still remain.

Trump's video message did not provide specifics about a timeframe, but CNN quoted a defense official as saying that the planning was for a "full" and "rapid" pullout.

CBS said it was told the White House ordered the Pentagon to "begin planning for an immediate withdrawal."

"For force protection and operational security reasons, we will not provide further details. We will continue working with our partners and allies to defeat ISIS wherever it operates," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement, using an acronym for Islamic State.

The coalition has "liberated" the IS-held territory, but the campaign against the group "is not over," White said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria creates prospects for a political settlement of the conflict there, according to the TASS news agency.

Russia has repeatedly asserted that U.S. forces have no right to be in Syria because Assad's government has not approved their presence.

Both Moscow and Tehran have given Assad crucial support throughout the Syrian conflict, which began with a government crackdown on protesters in March 2011 and has left more than 400,000 people dead, displaced millions, and devastated many historical sites across the country.

In 2014, IS fighters seized large swaths of Syrian and Iraqi territory in a lightning offensive and proclaimed a so-called Islamic "caliphate."

IS militants have lost virtually all the territory they once controlled in Iraq, but still carry out sporadic attacks.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and the BBC

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-syria-troop-pullout-islamic -state-russia-turkey-iran/29666375.html

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.