Trump orders US troops out of Syria
Posted by Josh Taylor / December 20, 2018
President Trump has claimed victory over ISIS in Syria, and troops are already on their way back to the United States.
The New York Times reports that
“Pentagon officials who had sought to talk the president out of the decision as late as Wednesday morning argued that such a move would betray Kurdish allies who have fought alongside American troops in Syria and who could find themselves under attack in a military offensive now threatened by Turkey
[…]
In a series of meetings and conference calls over the past several days, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other senior national security officials have tried to dissuade Mr. Trump from a wholesale troop withdrawal, arguing that the significant national security policy shift would essentially cede foreign influence in Syria to Russia and Iran at a time when American policy calls for challenging both countries.
Similarly, the Washington Post notes that Russia may approve the move: “Russian officials had no immediate comment, but they seemed likely to cheer Trump’s move. Russia has long described the U.S. mission in Syria as illegal because it wasn’t approved by the Assad government.”
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