US troops quit Syria to ‘help defend Iraq’
US forces began withdrawing from their largest base in northern Syria yesterday (Sunday) after the Pentagon chief confirmed that nearly 1,000 troops would be relocated to ‘‘help defend Iraq’’ against Isis’ re-emergence.
As Donald Trump, the US president, claimed that he was ‘‘bringing soldiers home’’, he was contradicted by Mark Esper, his defence secretary, who said the troops were instead headed for Syria’s neighbour to join an existing US force of 5000.
‘‘The current game plan is for those forces to reposition into western Iraq,’’ Esper said late on Saturday, not ruling out counter-terrorism missions from Iraq into Syria.
Yesterday a first convoy of more than 70 US armoured vehicles escorted by helicopters rumbled out of the Sarrin base in northern Syria. The withdrawal effectively abandons America’s ally, the Kurdishled Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to Turkish firepower.
Ankara began its crossborder attack on Oct 9 with the goal of pushing back Kurdish People’s Protection Units fighters from its border and establishing a Turkish-controlled zone to which it could return Syrian refugees. As the SDF came under pressure, non-combat duties such as the policing of
Isil detainees were set aside, enabling escapes of Isis members and families.
The Kurds made a deal with Damascus last week allowing Syrian troops into areas under their control in exchange for protection from the Turks. A US-brokered ceasefire, announced on Friday, aimed to allow Kurdish forces to leave a 120km strip of land along the Turkish border.
Yesterday, the Turkish defence ministry said that the SDF forces there had withdrawn, a move confirmed by the Kurdish group.
In other parts of northern Syria, fighting continued as Turkish warplanes and Turkish-backed troops worked to oust Kurds from positions along the TurkeySyria border. The Turkish defence ministry asserted yesterday that ‘‘there are absolutely no impediments to the withdrawal’’ of Kurdish forces and that ‘‘the activities of exiting and evacuation from the region are firmly coordinated with the US counterparts’’.
After saying last week it was ‘‘time to bring our soldiers back home’’, Trump continued to claim they were returning, despite being contradicted by Esper. Yesterday, the president referred to his defence secretary on Twitter as ‘‘Mark Esperanto’’ and added that ‘‘USA soldiers are not in combat or ceasefire zones. We have secured the oil. Bringing soldiers home!’’