What Happened?
U.S. military officials announced Friday morning that it has begun the process of withdrawing from Syria, according to the Washington Post. The news came nearly a month after President Donald Trump’s Dec. 19 announcement that the U.S. will immediately begin removing troops from Syria.
Col. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the United States-led coalition, said the military has “begun the process of our deliberate withdrawal from Syria,” in an email to the Associated Press.
“Out of concern for operational security, we will not discuss specific timelines, locations or troops movements,” Col. Ryan wrote in the email.
After Trump announced his plan to pull troops out rapidly, National Security Advisor John Bolton told reporters Sunday that military forces will remain in Syria until any remnants of the Islamic State were defeated, a process that could take weeks or months, USA Today reported.
The announcement came amid confusion regarding the withdrawal, with many concerned about Turkey threatening to invade Syria, according to the New York Times.
The Latest
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday that he supports Trump’s decision to bring troops home and that the country will continue its commitment to fighting ISIS, NPR reported. Pompeo also addressed threats from Turkey.
“We recognize the Turkish people’s right and President Erdogan’s to defend their country from terrorists,” Pompeo said.
“We also know that those who aren’t terrorists, those who were fighting alongside us for all this time, deserve to be protected as well,” Pompeo said. “We are confident we can achieve an outcome that achieves both of those.”
The Unites States-led coalition has been fighting ISIS in the Middle East since 2014.
