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Evan Vucci

Donald Trump signs order for US military's controversial Syria exit

The announcement that US troops would leave the war-racked country has shocked global partners and American politicians alike.

THE ORDER TO withdraw American troops from Syria has been signed. 

The announcement that US troops would leave the war-racked country has shocked global partners and American politicians alike.

“The execute order for Syria has been signed,” a US military spokesperson told AFP when asked about the withdrawal order, without providing further details.

Turkey was a rare ally that lauded Trump’s momentous decision on Syria, a country where it will now have a freer rein to target US-allied Kurdish fighters who have played a major role in the war against IS but are deemed terrorists by Ankara.

Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone last night and “agreed to ensure coordination between their countries’ military, diplomatic and other officials to avoid a power vacuum which could result following any abuse of the withdrawal and transition phase in Syria,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

Late last night, Trump tweeted that Erdogan had assured him that any remaining IS fighters in Syria will be eliminated.

Hours earlier, Trump had tweeted that he and Erdogan “discussed (IS), our mutual involvement in Syria, & the slow & highly coordinated pullout of US troops from the area”.

US politicians — including those from his own Republican party — and international allies fear the withdrawal of the roughly 2,000 US troops is premature and would further destabilise the already devastated region.

A US withdrawal, said Mutlu Civiroglu, a Kurdish affairs analyst, will open the way “for Turkey to start its operations against the Kurds, and a bloody war will begin”.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said he “deeply regretted” Trump’s decision, and that “an ally must be reliable”.

New Pentagon chief 

US troops will leave under the auspices of a new Pentagon chief set to start next month, after Jim Mattis resigned from the post citing key differences, including on Syria, with the often-impulsive Trump.

Several US politicians from both parties rejected Trump’s claim that IS had been defeated, and the decision also caused alarm and dismay in the US military over the prospect of suddenly abandoning Washington’s Kurdish partners.

Trump’s sudden decision sparked turmoil within his administration, prompting the resignation of Brett McGurk, the special envoy to the anti-IS coalition, as well as Mattis.

Plans for the troop withdrawal will now be overseen by Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who Trump on Sunday said would replace Mattis starting 1 January.

Mattis had said he would leave at the end of February to allow a smooth transition for the next chief of the world’s top military power — but a reportedly angry Trump accelerated his departure by two months.

Defense spokeswoman Dana White tweeted that Mattis would still assist in the handover, working with Shanahan to ensure the department “remains focused on the defense of our nation during this transition.”

According to US media, Trump voiced resentment over news coverage of Mattis’ stinging resignation letter that laid bare his fundamental disagreements with the president.

Days later, special envoy McGurk made a similar move, saying he could not support Trump’s Syria decision that, he said, “left our coalition partners confused and our fighting partners bewildered”.

Unlike Mattis, Shanahan has never served in the military and has spent most of his career in the private sector.

He spent over three decades working for aircraft giant Boeing, including as vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems, before moving to the Pentagon as deputy in 2017.

Until Trump finds a permanent Pentagon chief, Shanahan will lead plans for US troops to leave Syria along with a significant drawdown in Afghanistan, both of which critics worry will leave war-torn regions at risk of continued and potentially heightened bloodshed.

© – AFP 2018

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    Mute buaman
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:10 AM

    “Civil war”, hardly, foreign invasion and Trump’s predecessor Obomber initiated it backing head-choppers with American arm’s via the bastion of civil rights Saudi Arabia.

    282
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    Mute The Lone wolfe
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:57 AM

    @buaman: US is in a state of war called the WOT… Those that colluded with Jihadis can be tried as Enamy Combants…
    Military or Civilian trials?? 3mins – MUST WATCH –
     https://youtu.be/3_gmOsnjrZw

    21
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    Mute The Lone wolfe
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:58 AM

    @The Lone wolfe:  https://youtu.be/3_gmOsnjrZw

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    Mute The Lone wolfe
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:59 AM
    5
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    Mute Bluey
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:25 AM

    @buaman: You haven’t a clue. Genuinely

    17
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    Mute buaman
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:57 PM

    @Bluey: I don’t take council from anyone that ends their sentences with “genuinely”

    11
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    Mute Shawn O'Ceallaghan
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:46 AM

    He’s bringing troops back, what’s the issue. This is a good thing

    166
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    Mute Hellenize Dublin
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:35 AM

    @Shawn O’Ceallaghan: potentially leave a power vacuum like what happened with Iraq. The Kurds could be left defenseless.

    However, every situation is different. Not sure how this will play out.

    23
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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:46 AM

    @Hellenize Dublin: Pretty sure the Syrians will look after them. Syria was fine until the english with Saudi money interfered. Once the Syrian army take the english on, game over for the Jihadis. Unless of course the english will run home with their tails between their legs. In that case, Syria will negotiate with the Turks to leave the Kurds alone.

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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:58 AM

    @Hellenize Dublin: Do you remember all your worries about the 300,000 civilians being massacred in Aleppo if Assad retook control there. Your fears turned out to be unfounded. Genuinely you need to relax, Assad will make sure the Kurds are safe. The english convinced the Kurds to take up arms against Assad. More fool them for listening to the wrong side again.

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    Mute SteoG
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:37 PM

    @Cal Mooney: Syria was fine until the Syrian security services started murdering unarmed civilians protesting the murder of children. I wonder why you would omit such an important fact like that.

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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 1:14 PM

    @SteoG: Right. Its not like the US police don’t kill a lot of innocent people every week. Are you suggesting we should go invade the USA? How about US invading Saudi Arabia, that last bastion upholding the human rights of all its citizens. Let’s not forget about Israel murdering children out protesting on a weekly basis.

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    Mute ihcalaM
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    Dec 24th 2018, 2:25 PM

    @Cal Mooney: It’s funny how Israel murdering children gets you riled up (it gets me riled up) but when Assad does it, it’s “ah but sure isn’t everyone else at it”?

    Where’s your disgust for the murderous filth running Syria?

    12
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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 3:19 PM

    @ihcalaM: Assad is liked for the most part by his people. The amount of false propaganda heaped against him is sickening. If some of his security forces acted like animals should see those punished. I heard the Nuns in Syria praising him for his charitable work. Unless you are going to accuse the Nuns of lying ..

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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 3:22 PM

    @ihcalaM: We also heard what a brut Gadaffi was before he was killed. Then years later, we find out he did more for his people than most world leaders. Pity we didn’t challenge the lies before we supported taking down his country.

    14
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    Mute Annie Citric
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    Dec 24th 2018, 4:52 PM

    @Cal Mooney: Yeah, like nuns don’t lie.

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    Mute Clifford Brennan
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:10 AM

    Thoughts are with the abandoned Kurdish people.

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    Mute Edmund Murphy
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:49 AM

    @Clifford Brennan: Yep. like how many times can a people be betrayed. WW1, WW2, The Gulf War, The Iraq War and now the Syrian War.

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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:43 AM

    @Clifford Brennan: Don’t worry, once the US leave, I am sure the english will stay and look after the Kurds …hee hee

    19
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    Mute Pat Ferns
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:19 AM

    Has Trump just handed over the Kurds to Turkey, so that Turkey leaves his friends in Saudi Arabia alone.

    94
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    Mute buaman
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:50 AM

    @Pat Ferns: US never had Kurdish interests at heart, played them on seeking what they saw as home territory, US interest hydrocarbons only, Assad signed his own death warrant on the wrong pipeline, https://goo.gl/images/WjVqGb

    37
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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:00 PM

    @Pat Ferns: I see the Israeli PM is making grumbling noises about vacuums when the US pull out. I am sure all the countries complaining about it will be the countries willing to invite Kurdish refugees in. Oh wait, they won’t because they couldn’t care less about them.

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    Mute Thomas Molloy
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:03 PM

    @Pat Ferns: Dammed if he does, dammed if he doesn’t, so might as well save US soldiers lives and let the whingers, online and otherwise, join European armies to fight for whoever they deem to be the “good guys”.

    15
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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:30 PM

    @Thomas Molloy: so much nonsense as usual. He has massively increased troop deployments in the last two years. Also, us joining a European army would need a referendum as its not allowed according to our constitution

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    Mute iComment
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:20 AM

    US helped the Kurds to fight IS….However most of the fighting and defeat of IS in Syria was done by Syrian army and Russian air force…..Under Obama CIA send billions of US arms to help the moderate rebels like Al Nusra who passed them on to IS….Same thing was done by Saudi Arabia …Good thing US is bringing to an end its 16 year $6.5 trillion war on terror….It has created 12 million refugees….

    129
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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:28 AM

    @iComment: it’s helpful to realise that this is one country where the US only has 2,000 troops deployed. 2,000 of over 250,000 troops worldwide. It’s a good start but by no means does it signal the end, or even the beginning of the end, of the war on terror.

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    Mute buaman
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:46 AM

    @iComment: “moderate rebels” that’s manufacturing consent, guise for more head-choppers and opportunists. Syria signed the deal on the “wrong” pipeline, time for US freedom, https://goo.gl/images/WjVqGb

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    Mute Chicinho
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    Dec 24th 2018, 1:44 PM

    @iComment: true you did but why you’re still friends after Turkmen hacked your pilots after shooting them down is another thing. Tartus and gas lines are easy sacrifice for mother russia! You did scr3w up by no flights in kobani and your mercenaries slaughter near deir ezzor. The independent Latakia makes sense to everyone bar Anglos!
    @iComment: Russian or Slavic native by the way I punctuated your grammar…. apolishgees if wrong

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    Mute Dave Dublin
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:34 AM

    its funny how the Dems and the Left are the pro war crowd now

    93
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    Mute GO GREEN
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:54 AM

    @Dave Dublin: Trump pulling out will only lead to more war – as it happened in Iraq and Afghanistan – of course you already know that.

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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:48 AM

    @Dave Dublin: The left want the US out of Syria. The Democrats aren’t left. They are the war hawk party.

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    Mute Pixie McMullen
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:16 AM

    America will still have over 5000 troops in Iraq just over the border, plus they will still have aircraft carrier, missile strike capabilities and airfields in UAE, Qatar , Saudi Arabia and other neighbouring countries etc, oh! and the rarely talked about estimated 5,500 privately contracted soldiers operating in country too.
    I have a feeling that America is gonna be running “interference” in Syria for a little while longer yet.

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    Mute Sean
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:25 AM

    The US abandoned their South Vietnamese allies in the Vietnam War. Any country that allies with the US and any student of history will know that the US will abandon their allies sooner rather than later. The US presence in a region only delays the inevitable. When they leave the regional power-plays resume.

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:42 AM

    @Sean: especially now when they’re deliberately antagonising the EU amd other long term allies.

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    Mute tomcolgan
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:32 AM

    About time they leave from war torn countries, finally America is staying out of other countries business

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    Mute Picture This
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:44 AM

    @tomcolgan: that’s why he wanted to invade Venezuela

    13
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    Mute John A. Dixon
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:38 AM

    The dollars being saved can be put towards a nice big magnificent wall.

    27
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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:51 AM

    @John A. Dixon: Who cares as long as the refugee tsunami reverses in Europe.

    25
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    Mute PC Principal
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:57 AM

    @Cal Mooney: Don’t count on it. Our European leaders want the migrants to prop up the tax base and pension funds.

    17
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    Mute Bryan Curran
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    Dec 24th 2018, 12:40 PM

    The Obama administration with the help of Hilary Clinton as Secretary of state wanted to take down Gaddafi and Assad so they began to fund terrorist groups in Libya and Syria, these groups later became ISIS.

    30
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    Mute Eire
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:33 AM

    War is Over!!!!! (if you want it) John Lennon Singer , Song Writer Legend!!

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    Mute Dave Thomas
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:16 AM

    @Eire: far from it.

    12
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    Mute Picture This
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:03 AM

    Considering he recently asked his general’s could Venezuela be invaded and it’s leader be assinated one wonders what is behind this withdrawal. The main is so vain it could simply be to divert negative stories about his families dodgy charity court ruling

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    Mute GO GREEN
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:08 AM

    Turkey has said they will leave the Kurds dying in the ditch – after many Kurds died fighting against ISIS and helped Trump in the fight against ISIS effectively acting as US ground troops whilst US did the air bombing. This is how Trump repays their loyality, and this is the man who is on course for a second term as US President, a US that now allies itself with Russia and the likes whilst throwing scorn on their former friends.

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    Mute Cal Mooney
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    Dec 24th 2018, 11:54 AM

    @GO GREEN: If you are genuinely that worried about the Kurds, jump on a plane and grab your weapon when you get to Northern Syria. Why would you want US troops to put their lives at risk when you wouldn’t do it yourself.

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    Mute GO GREEN
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    Dec 24th 2018, 1:46 PM

    @Cal Mooney: I did not make any promises to the Kurds, Trump did and the Kurds relies on that promise. You are the third person this week who told me to leave this country – ye call all buzz off – I have every right to be here.

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    Mute NoneOfYourBusiness
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    Dec 24th 2018, 3:12 PM

    US shouldn’t even have been there in the first place, thanks Obama/Clinton for creating and arming IS, for the countless, pointless deaths and a monumental refugee crisis while you tried to start WW3.
    Be interesting to see what Trump does with all these returning service personnel, interesting times ahead.

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    Mute iComment
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:32 AM

    From Kurds point of view better they go back into Syria than they be occupied by Turkey like they did to Nothern Cyprus…..Turkey might accept this if Kurd region becomes part of Syria again…

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    Mute Craig Clancy
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    Dec 24th 2018, 10:40 AM

    Balancing the books to build a wall I see…..

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    Mute Mike Conway
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    Dec 24th 2018, 4:24 PM

    Trump is right to pull them out. Let them savages fight among themselves, there is no need to put the lives of more American troops in danger in a foreign conflict.

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    Mute Martello Mulligan
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    Dec 24th 2018, 9:34 AM

    Dumba$$-in-Chief is so stupid he didn’t realize that Mattis’s letter was like the broom handle that was delivered to Gaddafi at the end of his reign.

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Dec 24th 2018, 4:55 PM

    Just wonder what Mr. Muller makes of handing over the Syria/ ISIS campaign to the Russians, & leaving the US Kurdish allies abandoned to Turkish expansionism over the Syrian Kurds in northern Syria. If ever proof was needed that Trump is squirming every which way in his personal rather than US interests, this is it. His moral corruption needs no further investigation, it is there for all to see.

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    Mute NoneOfYourBusiness
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    Dec 25th 2018, 10:57 AM

    Projected US spend on Syria engagement for 2019 ,15+ billion.
    I Wonder what President Trump will do with all that extra budget funding to play with.
    I Wonder where the returning personnel will be deployed?

    2
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