The White House announced on Friday that after the planned departure of the US army from Syria, at least two hundred American peacekeeping troops will stay behind.
According to the spokesperson of President Donald Trump, it is the intention that the stay of the troops has a „limited duration“. No announcements were made about the precise tasks of the peace soldiers.
The decision was announced after Trump had a telephone conversation with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday evening. Both presidents talked about forming a security zone in Syria. These discussions will continue on Friday.
Trump unexpectedly announced in December that the approximately two thousand US military forces still in Syria will be withdrawn.
According to Trump, the terrorist organization Islamic State in Syria has been defeated and expelled.
The decision came as a surprise
Trump’s announcement came as a big surprise to the American army summit and its Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs. Under their influence, the intention to withdraw is now somewhat weakened: it is expected that the US military will stay longer in Syria than the original president intended.
