In reversal, US to leave a total of about 400 troops in Syria
The United States will leave about 400 US troops split between two different regions of Syria, a senior administration official said on Friday, a reversal by President Donald Trump that could pave the way for US allies to keep troops in Syria.
Trump had ordered the withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops Syria in December after he claimed they had defeated Daesh terrorists in Syria. The abrupt decision sparked an outcry from allies and US lawmakers and was a factor in Jim Mattis’ resignation as defense secretary, Reuters reported. But Trump was persuaded by advisers on Thursday that about 200 US troops would join what is expected to be a total commitment of about 800 to 1,500 troops from European allies to set up and observe a safe zone being negotiated for northeastern Syria, the official told reporters.
About 200 other US troops will remain at the US military outpost of Al-tanf, near the border with Iraq and Jordan, the official said.
Until now, European allies have balked at providing troops unless they received a firm commitment that Washington was still committed to the region.
Despite the shift, Trump told reporters on Friday “I’m not reversing course” on Syria, arguing the remaining troops would be “a very small, tiny fraction” of the forces who would ensure that Daesh does not regroup.
Officials said the numbers agreed on this week were not firm and could still change.
Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told Pentagon officials there must not be a vacuum of power during the withdrawal of US forces from Syria, state-owned Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday.
The US and a number of its allies have been in Syria without Damascus’ permission since 2014 under the pretext of fighting the Daesh terror group.