Pentagon drafting plan for full US troop withdrawal from Syria
Illustrative photo: The Pentagon is working on a plan to fully withdraw US troops from Syria (Getty Images)
The United States Department of Defense is working on a plan for the complete withdrawal of American troops from Syria, NBC News reports.
According to unnamed sources, US President Donald Trump and officials close to him have recently expressed interest in a full withdrawal of American forces from Syria. In response, the Pentagon has begun developing plans for withdrawing troops in 30, 60, or 90 days.
Meanwhile, Trump’s new National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, held a meeting with top military leadership at the US Central Command headquarters in Tampa, as well as a briefing on the situation in the Middle East. However, according to the report, the issue of reducing US forces in Syria was not the focus of his visit.
Last Thursday, a reporter asked Trump about reports claiming he had informed the Israeli government about the planned withdrawal of American troops from Syria.
“I don’t know who said that, but we’ll make a determination on that. We’re not involved in Syria. Syria is its own mess. They got enough messes over there. They don’t need us involved in everyone,” Trump stated.
NBC News also recalls that in late 2019, Trump had already ordered then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis to withdraw all US troops from Syria. However, Mattis opposed the decision and ultimately resigned in protest. After that, Trump withdrew most of the troops but later redeployed them.
According to Pentagon data, around 2,000 US troops were deployed in Syria as of December, which is double the number that military officials had publicly acknowledged for years.
Meanwhile, defense officials warn that the withdrawal of American forces from Syria poses a challenge to the Syrian Democratic Forces.
US military presence in Syria
The United States deployed troops to Syria in 2014 as part of an international coalition to combat the Islamic State. The primary objectives were to support local allies, particularly the Syrian Democratic Forces, conduct airstrikes, and carry out special operations missions.
Recently, US forces conducted a targeted airstrike in Syria, eliminating a high-ranking militant of the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda.
