According to the White House, the US has begun withdrawing its soldiers from Syria. „We’ve started bringing US soldiers home as we move into the next phase of this mission,“ said White Sand House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Earlier, US media reported that US President Trump had decided to withdraw. Trump has been signaling for a long time that he wants to take this step.
On Twitter, the president had argued that the US-led fight against IS in Syria was virtually won. The New York Times reports that the official statement was delayed because Pentagon officials were still trying to dissuade the president from making that decision. A withdrawal of the troops could betray the Kurdish allies, some of whom had fought side by side with US troops in Syria.
According to the Wall Street Journal, allies have already been taught in the region. Trump had talked to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week. The US currently has about 2,000 troops stationed in Syria, officially as advisors and coaches of the Syrian opposition forces in the fight against ISIS.
Turkey had threatened for weeks with an offensive against the Kurdish militia YPG in northern Syria. This is under the protection of the USA. The Turkish President had said in a speech in Konya, Turkey, Trump had given Turkey „green light“ for the offensive. This would be a departure from the original US policy: Shortly before, the US Department of Defense had said that any unilateral initiative in the region would be unacceptable.
Withdrawal could strengthen Russia’s position
The New York Times quoted Pentagon officials as saying that troop withdrawal could cost the trust of other fighters in the region. For days it should give to the decision meetings. Among other things, the Defense Minister Jim Mattis is said to have tried to convince Trump that the absence of US troops in Syria could strengthen the role of Russia and Iran in the region.
The troop withdrawal had originally been Trump’s campaign promise. In April, however, he agreed to give the Ministry of Defense more time to complete the mission in Syria
