U.S. to begin full pullout from Syria
Top Republicans condemn Trump’s move
WASHINGTON • The trump administration will soon withdraw all of the approximately 2,000 American troops from Syria, a U.S. official said Wednesday as President Donald Trump declared victory in the mission to defeat Islamic State militants there.
Planning for the pullout has begun and troops will begin leaving as soon as possible, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
On Wednesday, as Vice-president Mike Pence met with top military leaders in the Pentagon, Trump tweeted: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.”
That declaration of victory is far from unanimous, and the withdrawal decision immediately triggered demands from Congress — including Republicans — for more information and a formal briefing on the matter.
Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham, typically a Trump backer, said he was “blindsided” by the report and called the decision “a disaster in the making.” He said, “The biggest winners in this are ISIS and Iran.”
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said the withdrawal would be a “grave error with broader implications” beyond the fight against ISIL.
The decision will fulfil Trump’s long-stated goal of bringing troops home from Syria, but military leaders have pushed back, arguing that ISIL remains a threat and could regroup as it battles in Syria’s long-running civil war.
In Ottawa, a spokeswoman for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Trump’s decision won’t affect Canada’s commitment of troops to the fight against ISIL. No Canadian troops are deployed to Syria as part of the mission.
“The U.S government’s announcement to withdraw their troops from Syria does not affect our Canadian Armed Forces’ commitment to support Iraq,” said Byrne Furlong in an email.
“We are providing valuable contribution to support our allies in the Middle East, including providing building-partner capacity to the Iraqi Security Forces.”
Trump has argued for the withdrawal since he was a presidential candidate. But the decision underscores the division between him and his military advisers, who say pockets of ISIL militants remain and U.S. policy has been to keep troops in place until the extremists are eradicated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who remains concerned about Iranian efforts in the area, reacted in noncommittal fashion after talking with Trump by telephone.
“This is, of course, an American decision,” he said. Israel will learn of the timetable and manner of withdrawal, he said, and no matter what “we will safeguard the security of Israel and protect ourselves.”
Just last week, the U.S. special envoy to the anti-isil coalition, Brett Mcgurk, said U.S. troops would remain in Syria even after the Islamic State was driven from its strongholds.
“I think it’s fair to say Americans will remain on the ground after the physical defeat of the caliphate, until we have the pieces in place to ensure that that defeat is enduring,” Mcgurk told reporters on Dec. 11.
“Nobody is declaring a mission accomplished. Defeating a physical caliphate is one phase of a much longer-term campaign.”
And two weeks ago Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. still has a long way to go in training local Syrian forces to prevent a resurgence of ISIL and stabilize the country. He said it will take 35,000 to 40,000 local troops in northeastern Syria to maintain security over the long term, but only about 20 per cent of them have been trained.
Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said in September that the U.S. would keep a military presence in Syria as long as Iran is active there.
“We’re not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders and that includes Iranian proxies and militias,” he said.
James Stavridis, a former Navy admiral who served as top NATO commander, tweeted Wednesday that “Pulling troops out of Syria in an ongoing fight is a big mistake. Like walking away from a forest fire that is still smouldering underfoot ... Big winner is Iran, then Russia, then Assad. Wrong move.”
The withdrawal, however, is likely to be viewed positively by U.S. ally Turkey, and comes following several conversations between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the past several weeks.