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Donald Trump defends troop pullout rom Syria, allies France and UK disagree
Facing backlash at home and abroad, US President Donald Trump is defending his decision to withdraw American troops from Syria, saying it should not come as a surprise as it had been a campaign promise and it’s time for others to pick up the war against Islamic State.
Facing mounting backlash at home and abroad, United States President Donald Trump is defending his decision to withdraw American troops from Syria, saying it should not come as a surprise as it had been a campaign promise and that it’s time for others to pick up the war against the Islamic State (IS).
He had earlier said the war was over, and the terrorist outfit had been defeated.
Allies France and United Kingdom disagreed and warned in public statements that though the IS was on the run, much “remains to be done” and that the outfit poses a threat even without territory. Paris has said its troops will remain in Syria “because the fight against Islamic State is essential”.
At home, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, called the decision a “disaster” and a “stain on the honor of the United States” as it amounted to betraying allies in the region. He joined five other senators, from both parties, to write to Trump urging him to reverse his decision.
Trump showed no sign of relenting and, in fact, retweeted praise for the decision from others. And doubled down: “Getting out of Syria was no surprise,” he wrote in one of three Syria posts on Twitter Thursday. “I’ve been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer. Russia, Iran, Syria & others are the local enemy of ISIS. We were doing there work.”
Pressing that line, he went on to ask if the United States wanted to be the “Policeman” of West Asia, fighting other’s wars. Russia, Iran and Syria should fight these these battles as local enemies of IS he said, contending they will not be happy with US withdrawal, as they will have to continue the fight “without us”.
Russia, at least, is not unhappy. Not publicly at least. “Donald’s right, and I agree with him,” President Vladimir Putin said at his annual news conference and called it the “right decision”. But he appeared doubtful it the Americans will actually leave, citing American forces in Afghanistan who have stayed through several self-posted deadlines for 17 years now.
The United States has an estimated 2,000 troops in Syria as part of an international coalition to fight the IS — stationed mostly in the northern parts of the country — and the Trump administration has claimed sweeping successes in throwing out the terrorists outfit that had entrenched itself taking advantage of the civil strife.
Trump’s abrupt announcement of the Syria pullout has raised questions about the presence of 15,000 US troops in Afghanistan and 5,000 in Iraq. While he has said the Afghanistan decision will be conditions-based and not one on deadlines, experts fear he could change his mind, going against advice.
Critics of the president’s decision acknowledge the Islamic State is on the run, but insist it remains a threat. Adam Kinzinger, a US military veteran and Republican congressman, has said estimates of IS fighter still at large vary between 2,000 and 20,000.
Others have warned that the withdrawal would betray regional allies such as the Kurds, and leave them vulnerable to Turkey, which views them as a threat. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said in a strongly worded statement: “The war against terrorism has not ended and (the Islamic State group) has not been defeated.”
The United States has not yet announced a pullout timeline, but officials have said the process has started.
