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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.
President @RT_Erdogan of Turkey has very strongly informed me that he will eradicate whatever is left of ISIS in Syria....and he is a man who can do it plus, Turkey is right “next door.” Our troops are coming home!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2018
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.
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“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.
@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
@The Lone wolfe: https://youtu.be/3_gmOsnjrZw
@buaman: You haven’t a clue. Genuinely
He’s bringing troops back, what’s the issue. This is a good thing
@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.
@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.
@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.
@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.
@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.
@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?
@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 ..
@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.
@Cal Mooney: Yeah, like nuns don’t lie.
Thoughts are with the abandoned Kurdish people.
@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.
@Clifford Brennan: Don’t worry, once the US leave, I am sure the english will stay and look after the Kurds …hee hee
Has Trump just handed over the Kurds to Turkey, so that Turkey leaves his friends in Saudi Arabia alone.
@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
@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.
@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”.
@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
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….
@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.
@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
@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
its funny how the Dems and the Left are the pro war crowd now
@Dave Dublin: Trump pulling out will only lead to more war – as it happened in Iraq and Afghanistan – of course you already know that.
@Dave Dublin: The left want the US out of Syria. The Democrats aren’t left. They are the war hawk party.
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.
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.
@Sean: especially now when they’re deliberately antagonising the EU amd other long term allies.
About time they leave from war torn countries, finally America is staying out of other countries business
@tomcolgan: that’s why he wanted to invade Venezuela
The dollars being saved can be put towards a nice big magnificent wall.
@John A. Dixon: Who cares as long as the refugee tsunami reverses in Europe.
@Cal Mooney: Don’t count on it. Our European leaders want the migrants to prop up the tax base and pension funds.
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.
War is Over!!!!! (if you want it) John Lennon Singer , Song Writer Legend!!
@Eire: far from it.
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
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.
@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.
@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.
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.
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…
Balancing the books to build a wall I see…..
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.
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.
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.
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?
have your say