'Not reversing course on withdrawing from Syria': Donald Trump justifies leaving behind 200 troops in country
Donald Trump agreed to keep about 200 US troops as part of a planned multinational force that would maintain a safe zone in northeastern Syria, the official said.
-
The US is not reversing course in Syria, Donald Trump said as he defended his decision to keep a small number of troops in the war-torn country after the withdrawal of American forces
-
Trump agreed on Thursday to keep about 200 US troops as part of a planned multinational force that would maintain a safe zone in northeastern Syria
-
The US initially planned to only provide air support — not ground troops — to the observer force, but NATO allies objected
Washington: The US is not reversing course in Syria, President Donald Trump said as he defended his decision to keep a small number of troops in the war-torn country after the withdrawal of American forces.
File photo of US president Donald Trump. Reuters
Trump agreed on Thursday to keep about 200 US troops as part of a planned multinational force that would maintain a safe zone in northeastern Syria, the official said. This force would be in addition to the 200 troops the US is planning to maintain after the withdrawal at its base in at-Tanf, Syria, the official said.
"I'm not reversing course," Trump told reporters responding to a question on his decision on keeping some 200 US troops in Syria as against his previous decision on full withdrawal of more than 2,500 troops. "I have done something that nobody else has been able to do. In another short period of time, like hours, you'll be hearing about the caliphate. It'll 100 percent be defeated. Nobody's been able to say that."
Related Articles
"That doesn't mean there aren't some very bad people walking around and strapping on bombs and all of these things. But we've done a job that nobody else has been able to do," he said.
The US initially planned to only provide air support — not ground troops — to the observer force, but NATO allies objected and said they would not contribute troops toward such a mission without a US troop commitment, the official said.
After consulting with State and Defense Department officials, national security adviser John Bolton met with Trump on Thursday and convinced him to agree to commit "a couple hundred" troops, said a senior administration official, who briefed a small group of reporters on Friday on the plans on condition of anonymity.
Trump said Senator Lindsey Graham congratulating him this morning on having defeated the caliphate. “Frankly, I'm getting a lot of congratulations,” he said.
also read
THESE are the world’s most miserable countries (some may surprise you)
Unemployment and inflation are plaguing the world. According to an annual misery index, Zimbabwe is the most miserable country because of the high cost of living. Happiness is elusive in Venezuela, Lebanon, Syria, and Sudan
Senior US general 'ordered' Twitter announcement of drone strike on major al Qaeda leader
A defense official has said that some of CENTCOM Commander General Erik Kurilla’s subordinates have urged him to hold off on the tweet until there was more clarity on who was actually killed
'Israeli aggression' strikes Damascus overnight, says Syrian defence ministry
According to the government, it was aimed at 'certain positions in the vicinity of Damascus', but anti-aircraft defences intervened and shot down several missiles