Trump to Order 'FULL Withdrawal' Of US Troops From Syria Following ISIS Defeat
US forces have been supporting local Kurdish and Arab forces fighting ISIS
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President Donald Trump is set to order a' rapid withdrawal' of all U.S troops from Syria following victory over terror group ISIS.
US forces have been supporting local Kurdish and Arab forces fighting ISIS, according to reports by the Washington Post and CNN.
Two thousand troops remain in Syria as part of Operation Roundup, a final drive to defeat ISIS is in its closing stages.
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Col. Robert Manning, a Pentagon spokesman said the withdrawal is expected to happen as swiftly as possible.
"At this time, we continue to work by, with and through our partners in the region,” said Col. Robert Manning, a Pentagon spokesman on Wednesday.
But there was no mention of any change in policy was mentioned in A routine statement from the U.S. Central Command issued Wednesday
“Operation Roundup, which began May 1 to defeat ISIS in the Middle Euphrates River Valley and Iraqi- Syrian border region, has continued to gain ground and remove terrorists from the battlefield through offensive operations coupled with precision Coalition strike support,” the statement said.
“Operation Roundup will continue to target ISIS as the Coalition remains committed to the lasting defeat of ISIS to increase peace and stability in the region, and to protect all our homelands from ISIS's terrorist threat.”
The report doesn't mention U.S. and Coalition air forces in the region, who have also been assisting U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
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The Washington Examiner reported the U.S. recently established observation posts in northeastern Syria in a move the convince NATO ally Turkey that there was no threat from some members of the Kurdish YPG, which Turkey has labeled terrorists.
Trump on Wednesday morning alluded to the move, tweeting, "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."
An earlier report from the Wall Street Journal said the U.S. military was preparing to withdraw its forces from northeastern Syria, following a call last week between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan this week threatened to launch an assault on Kurdish troops backed by the U.S.
According to one recent intelligence study: "The prospect of US being militarily involved in Syria, caught in the middle of one of most complex conflicts in recent memory, with shifting objectives & ambiguous endgame, has been met with congressional indifference and public apathy."
