Pentagon defends Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria
The US Defense Department is defending President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw 2,000 American troops from Syria, saying the pull out is "deliberate, well thought-out, mutually supportive, and controlled."
In a tweet on Friday, the Pentagon also called the withdrawal the "next phase" of Washington’s support to the so-called anti-Daesh coalition, but did not provide further detail about what that support looks like.
The next phase of US support to the #Coalition's operation in #Syria is a deliberate, well thought-out, mutually supportive, and controlled withdrawal of forces while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops' safety and protection. #DefeatISIS
— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) December 28, 2018
The tweet did not specify which parties were "mutually supportive" of the decision to withdraw US troops.
Trump announced his decision to withdraw the US troops from Syria on Wednesday, asserting that the Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri terrorist group had been defeated.
Trump’s unexpected announcement shocked top US officials and allies.
French President Emmanuel Macron rebuked Trump over his decision to withdraw troops from Syria, saying "an ally must be reliable."
France, a leading member of the US-led coalition, has said it would keep troops in Syria.
The decision to withdraw ran counter to Defense Department and State Department messaging on US policy in Syria, and led to the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis.
Mattis wrote in his resignation that he and the Trump did not see eye to eye, adding that it was the president's right to choose a defense secretary whose views were “better aligned” with the views of the Commander in Chief.
Many Syrian Kurds also expressed frustration over the planned troop withdrawal, describing it as a 'stab in the back.'
Turkey saw the US-led military presence as an obstacle in dealing with Kurdish forces in northern Syria it views as threat to its security.
Ankara has postponed its incursion into northern Syria until US troops leave the region.
The US deployed troops and equipment to Syria in 2014 as part of what it claims to be the coalition to defeat Daesh (ISIL) terrorists, who are widely reported to be financed by Saudi Arabia and partially trained and protected by American forces in Syria to support the terror campaign against the Syrian government and ordinary citizens.
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