Trump’s ‘huge’ Syria mistake

Donald Trump plunged America’s Middle East policy into chaos yesterday as he ordered the withdrawal of US forces from Syria and said Islamic Statet (IS) had been ‘‘defeated’’.

His declaration of victory over IS was swiftly contradicted by the British Government, and the shock decision to pull out US troops was immediately criticised by his own Republican allies as a ‘‘huge’’ mistake.

Republicans warned the withdrawal would jeopardise the fight against IS and undermine US hopes of countering Iran’s influence in Syria. It may also embolden Turkey to launch a major offensive against America’s Kurdish allies in northern Syria.

US diplomats began an immediate evacuation from Syria within 24 hours. America’s 2,000 troops were expected to be completely withdrawn from the country by the end of March, US officials told Reuters.

‘‘We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,’’ Trump wrote on Twitter.

Tobias Ellwood, a junior UK defence minister replied: ‘‘I strongly disagree. It has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive.’’

The decision appears to indicate that Trump has decided to follow his own instincts over the advice of US security officials, including Jim Mattis, the defence secretary, who urged him not to withdraw American forces.

Trump has said often that he wanted to get out of Syria and in a speech in March this year he said US troops would be ‘‘coming out of Syria like very soon’’.

But he was persuaded to continue the American deployment. Senior US officials such as John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, have spent recent weeks saying the US was committed to a long-term presence in Syria to counter Iran.

Those promises by Bolton and others appeared to have been cast aside by Trump’s announcement yesterday.

‘‘Withdrawal of this small American force in Syria would be a huge Obama-like mistake,’’ said Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator close to Trump.

‘‘The confusion surrounding our Syria policy is making life much more difficult and dangerous for Americans in the region.’’

The news was met with dismay by America’s Kurdish allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who have been fighting alongside US troops against Isil in eastern Syria.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, has been threatening to launch a new offensive against the Kurds in northern Syria. The presence of US forces had acted as a deterrent to Erdogan but their withdrawal makes it more likely Turkish forces will move ahead with their attack.

‘‘It’s a sad state of affairs when our key allies on the ground, who’ve shed blood and thousands of lives for our fight against Isis, are to be well and truly abandoned,’’ said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.

Trump’s declaration of victory came shortly after US and SDF forces drove IS fighters out of the town of Hajin, their last urban stronghold in Syria. But the group continues to control areas of rural territory and just hours before Trump’s tweet the US military put out a statement detailing its ongoing campaign against IS in eastern Syria.

– Telegraph Group

‘‘We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.’’ Donald Trump tweet