We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
VOX: No one knows what’s happening with Trump’s Syria decision
The Pentagon and State Department seem completely blindsided by Trump’s ordered Syria withdrawal.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered the complete withdrawal of America’s 2,000 troops in Syria — a decision that seemed to surprise everyone, including his own administration.
And neither the Pentagon nor the State Department seems to have any idea what is supposed to happen next.
One senior administration official told me that “US forces will continue the fight against ISIS.” A spokesperson for the State Department didn’t say anything about forces continuing to fight in Syria, and instead directed me to the Pentagon and the White House for answers.
Read more ....
Previous Post: President Trump Declares Victory Over ISIS In Syria. Orders Immediate Withdrawal Of U.S. Forces From Syria (December 19, 2018)
WNU Editor: What President Trump tweeted this morning did not make any mention that U.S. forces were going to leave (see above tweet). He was just saying that the reasons why U.S. forces were deployed in Syria a few years ago are no longer there. But the media then picked up the story, and quoting anonymous sources started a news cycle that U.S. forces were going to leave ASAP. Congress then got involved, with politicians saying that they were not informed. The Pentagon and State Department also got involved, saying that they were not informed that President Trump ordered a withdrawal. The only official word from the White House came from White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders in the afternon and she said the following .... "these victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the coalition or its campaign, we have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign” (from Reuters). To put it bluntly .... there is no mention from the White House of any quick withdrawal. My conclusion .... it looks like the media got ahead of itself. This has also happened before .... the news media carrying a story from a Presidential tweet that had no bearing to what the tweet was saying, and making the global rounds before everyone realizes it is an error or misunderstanding. In regards to today's tweet, we all know that U.S. forces will leave Syria one day, and that what is left of ISIS in Syria will be gone or completely degraded in the coming months. But considering what President Trump said in his tweet, and what White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said this afternoon .... U.S. forces are not going to be leaving as quickly as some were reporting today. But tomorrow is another day .... and maybe there will be an official announcement that U.S. forces will be leaving by a certain date.
Hat tip to Fred for the above VOX story.
Update: President Trump posted this video at the same time that I was making this post (missed it). But his message is the same thing that he has said since the 2016 Presidential election .... that U.S. troops must come home. But he did mention that he wants these U.S. troops home now. That is new.
After historic victories against ISIS, it’s time to bring our great young people home! pic.twitter.com/xoNjFzQFTp— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
8 comments:
Looks pretty definitive is Trump's video message:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1075528854402256896
Seems very uncharacteristic of him considering all that he has done for Israel, but time will tell. If it's true, the middle east will become a very much more volatile place than it already is
Israel informed of withdrawal two days ago
The withdrawal, announced on Wednesday by U.S. defense officials, concedes hegemony in Syria to the Kremlin, either because this is what Trump promised in his election campaign or as part of a more nefarious payoff, of the kind that is now being investigated by Robert Mueller.
According to reports in U.S. media, Trump overruled senior army and Pentagon officials, who objected to the quick pullback.
@ WNU best check out Trumps twotter, he posted a video stating they are coming home and soon. Sounds more to me like a defensive maneuver, Trump always said that major milittary operations would be a surprise, this is no different. A ton of military surplus and assets will be returning to american soil asap.
It does seem clear that Trump wants to withdraw our forces "now." As for Israel, the best way to help them is to get out of the way. I'm pretty sure Israel would welcome a US redeployment.
In an unexpected decision that blindsided his own senior officials and signaled a concession to Turkey, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested he is preparing to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria, a move that experts said will seriously undermine America’s already weak hand in the war-torn nation.
For Trump, it was the latest instance of conducting policy by tweet without forewarning, and it came even as key officials such as Syria special envoy James Jeffrey were signaling that U.S. policy was to stay in the country.
My first instinct after hearing this was to wait and listen. Jumping to conclusions is bad for your health. So, I am still waiting as we do not know much, although it's fun to watch the fog of media stories.
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