United States is warned not to desert its allies in Syria

THE US should not abandon Kurdish and Arab allies who led the fight against Isil, British officials have said, warning that a rapid withdrawal of its troops would risk a jihadist resurgence.

Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are expected to announce the territorial defeat of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in the coming days, after a four-and-a-half year battle against the group spanning Syria and Iraq. Some 2,000 members of the US special forces, fighting alongside the Kurdish-led forces, will be brought home by April, after Donald Trump, the US president, declared the fight against Isil “99 per cent complete”.

Washington has not outlined any plans to support SDF efforts to combat Isil after their exit. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, said the world should not “mistake territorial defeat for final defeat” and that forces fighting Isil should not claim “victory too quickly”.

“President Trump’s decision to withdraw so quickly is as bizarre as it is short-sighted,” Bob Seely, of the foreign affairs select committee and chairman of all-party parliamentary group Friends of Syria, told The Daily Telegraph.

“We need to be realistic but supportive. Syrian-kurdish territory is part of Syria. However, we, the US and France need to be willing to repay that debt of thanks to the Kurds and make sure that in Syria they are not left to the mercy of Isil or the Assad government,” the Conservative MP said. “If we are not willing to stand by our allies, we will find we have fewer of them.”

Officials from the SDF said yesterday they had been left feeling abandoned.

“I’m worried about the US withdrawal, we fought together and I don’t believe it was a wise decision,” said Commander Adnan Afrin. A Pentagon report published this month warned that Isil “could likely resurge in Syria within six to 12 months and regain limited territory” if sustained pressure was not maintained.

The jihadist group retains a presence in eastern Syria’s vast Badia desert as well as remote territory in western Iraq, and has continued to make deadly attacks on Sdf-held areas.

While Isil will soon no longer have fixed positions anywhere in Iraq or Syria, its surviving fighters have reverted to guerrilla warfare and remain a potent force.