Trump appears to slow Syria troop pullout plan
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump appeared to backtrack on Monday on plans for an immediate pullout of US troops from Syria, but said his drive to end American involvement in wars made him a “hero”.
The shift came a day after a senior Republican senator said Trump had promised to stay in Syria to finish the job of defeating the Islamic State group.
Trump had earlier stunned allies — and prompted the resignation of his respected defense secretary, Jim Mattis — by abruptly announcing that the jihadists were defeated and that US troops in Syria were ready to leave.
However, in a tweet early on Monday, Trump seemed to signal a more cautious schedule for pulling out the troops, which provide crucial support to Kurdish and other local forces.
“We’re slowly sending our troops back home to be with their families, while at the same time fighting ISIS remnants,” Trump wrote.
In contrast to previously emphatic victory declarations, Trump said that “ISIS is mostly gone”.
But reflecting his frustration at the outpouring of criticism over his Syria strategy, Trump lashed out at opponents and the media, saying that he should be given more credit.
“If anybody but Donald Trump did what I did in Syria, which was an ISIS loaded mess when I became President, they would be a national hero,” Trump tweeted.
Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, will be traveling to Israel and Turkey in early January to discuss what the White House says is the “deliberate and coordinated” withdrawal of US forces from Syria. Bolton also will be discussing increased cooperation with the Turkish military and other partners.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis gave his farewell message to the US armed forces on Monday, telling them to “keep the faith in our country” and stand firm alongside allies after he resigned over policy differences with Trump.
“Our department is proven to be at its best when the times are most difficult. So keep the faith in our country and hold fast, alongside our allies, aligned against our foes,” Mattis said.
Mattis, who had been seen as a stabilizing factor in US defense policy, is due to transfer authority near midnight to his deputy, Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing Co executive.
Last week Trump said he was replacing Mattis two months earlier than had been expected, a move officials said was driven by Trump’s anger at Mattis’ resignation letter and its rebuke of the president’s foreign policy.
Mattis abruptly quit after falling out with Trump over the Syria decision and Trump’s planning of a drawdown in Afghanistan.
We’re slowly sending our troops back home to be with their families.” Donald Trump, US president