In Washington, a bipartisan group of high-ranking politicians formed to persuade Trump to abandon the decision.
According to the broadcaster CNN and other US media, Trump had taken the trigger against the explicit advice of three of his key experts on this issue: Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Security Advisor John Bolton.
Applause came from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin described Trump’s move as a „correct“ decision. He also shares Trump’s assessment that the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) has been largely defeated in Syria, Putin said.
The US had previously stationed around 2,000 troops in Syria. Officially, they are entrusted with the training and equipment of Syrian opposition militias. But they also occupy scout posts and secure landing strips. The US also intervened in Syria from outside, for instance when Trump shot down Assad Air Force base in April 2017.
Trump himself defended his decision on Thursday. „Do the US want to be the cop in the Middle East?“ He wrote on Twitter. „Should we stay there forever?“ Presence brings nothing to the US, but costs the lives of soldiers and trillions of dollars for the protection of others.
It was time for others to fight. „Russia, Iran, Syria and many others are not happy about the US going,“ Trump continued on Twitter. „Now they have to fight the IS and others who hate them without us,“ he continued. The day before, he had declared – contrary to experts worldwide and politicians of his own party – that the IS had been defeated.
His decision on Wednesday was no surprise, Trump continued. He said this intention half a year ago, but then let himself be persuaded to stay longer. The opponents of the local IS are Iran, Russia and Syria. „We do their job,“ Trump wrote.
Also from Germany came harsh criticism of the US president. „There is a danger that the consequences of this decision will harm the fight against IS and jeopardize the achieved success,“ said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Berlin. Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen added, „Even in the ongoing negotiations for a well-balanced post-war order in Syria (…)
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Evidently Trump had talked to at least some of the US allies about the impending move. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May said there had been discussions for „a few days“. Israel announced that it would continue to act „aggressively“ against Iran in Syria. „We will be very aggressive against Iranian attempts to invade Syria,“ said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel had repeatedly attacked areas in the Golan Heights that had been claimed by Syria in the past.
Many observers see the US withdrawal as a betrayal of the Kurdish fighters within the Syrian opposition forces, who have fought hard for years against Assad’s government troops and especially the IS. The State Department has repeatedly described her as one of the few reliable forces in the region. According to experts, the withdrawal could open the door for Turkey to take action against the Kurdish organization YPG, which Ankara considers to be a terrorist.
Independent US Senator Angus King told CNN that the US abandoned the Kurds. «We practically tell them overnight: Now you have to take care of yourself, man!»
King is also one of the signers of the protest letter to Trump. It states, among other things: „Your government must not make the same mistake as previous governments and surrender to these scoundrels.“ Senator Marco Rubio said in a television interview about a „terrible mistake“ Trumps.
Lindsay Graham had accused Trump in his own words of „fake news“ because he had claimed that the Islamic State was defeated – which according to international experts and experts in the United States is not true. Russia is not only happy, but „ecstatic“ because of Trump’s decision. CNN quoted a senior source from Trump’s government as saying the retreat is a „colossal mistake.“
