The United States will leave around 200 troops in Syria for a period of time, the White House has announced, as President Donald Trump pulled back from a complete withdrawal of forces.
In a surprise declaration, Trump in December said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group had been defeated in Syria and ordered the withdrawal of the 2,000 US soldiers from the war-torn country.
But the president has been under pressure from multiple advisers to adjust his policy, which was fiercely criticised, including by members of his own Republican party.
Critics have decried a number of possible outcomes from a precipitous withdrawal, including a Turkish attack on US-backed Kurdish forces – Washington’s main ally in the fight against ISIL – and a resurgence of the armed group.
“A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
The decision was announced after Trump spoke by phone to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A White House statement said the two leaders agreed, regarding Syria, to “continue coordinating on the creation of a potential safe zone”.
Turkey wants to set up a safe zone with logistical support from allies and says it should be cleared of the US-backed Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara considers a “terrorist” group.
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US troops withdrawal from Syria ‘will be gradual’ process (1:52) |
A senior US administration official said Trump’s decision had been in the works for some time. It was unclear how long the 200 troops would be expected to remain in the area or where exactly they would be deployed.
Leaving even a small group of US troops in Syria could pave the way for European allies to commit hundreds of troops to help set up and observe a potential safe zone in northeast Syria.
“This is a clear direction to our allies and coalition members that we will be on the ground in some capacity,” the senior administration official told Reuters news agency.
On Thursday, acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan met with his counterpart from Belgium. Before the meeting, Didier Reynders, Belgium’s minister of defense, was asked whether he would be open to keeping troops if there were no American forces left.
“We are waiting for preparation of the withdrawal of US troops and we are waiting now for more discussions,” he said.
Until now, European allies have balked at providing troops unless they received a firm commitment that Washington was still committed to the region.
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
