U.S. Army General Joseph Votel, commander, U.S. Central Command, briefs the media at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S. April 29, 2016 . REUTERS/YURI GRIPAS
Al Jazeera: No pressure to withdraw from Syria by specific date: US general
Votel says mission to defeat ISIL is 'driving the withdrawal' and 'main focus is making sure we protect our forces'.
The general overseeing US forces in the Middle East said on Thursday that he was under no pressure to withdraw forces from Syria by any specific date, after President Donald Trump ordered the pull-out of most US troops from Syria.
"What is driving the withdrawal of course is our mission, which is the defeat of ISIS and so that is our principal focus and that is making sure that we protect our forces, that we don't withdraw in a manner that increases the risk to our forces," Joseph Votel, head of the US Central Command, said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
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Update: Votel: No timeline for US troop withdrawal from Syria as ISIS caliphate nears end (Stars and Stripes)
WNU Editor: Even though there is no fixed withdrawal date, in the end what can 400 U.S. soldiers in Syria really do .... 400 American Troops Can’t Do Anything (Foreign Policy)
3 comments:
FP is dead wrong.
All they need to study the Afghan effort in October 2001. Far less than 400 US troops and CIA managed to manage airstrikes to help the Northern Alliance drive the Taliban out of power. Air ground controllers embedded with the NA and called in airstrikes on Taliban positions.
With all ISIS territory liberated, the effort now will shift to counter terror, intelligence gathering and interrogation of prisoners. A few hundred highly skilled Americans can assist with all this and be well protected.
caution. this is alamo size. they could be overrun.
JB,
400 1st rate troops or 400 troops that can call 1st rate assets can stiffen a lot of other troops. I daresay the Kurds have many 1st rate troops, who lack some weaponry but do not lack skill or bravery.
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