FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

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Trump Orders Pentagon To Begin Full Withdrawal from Syria

Dec. 19, 2018 (EIRNS)—President Trump tweeted this morning: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” Spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that “we have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign.”

The New York Times claims that there is panic at the Pentagon:

“Pentagon officials were still trying to talk the President out of the decision early Wednesday morning, arguing that such a move would betray Kurdish allies who have fought alongside American troops in Syria and who could find themselves under attack in a military offensive now threatened by Turkey.”

The Times says that officials have told them that the withdrawal could take place in as little as “several weeks,” but that U.S. airstrikes would continue against the remnants of ISIS along the Iraq border, depending on Kurds on the ground for targetting.

The Times continues:

“In a series of meetings and conference calls over the past several days, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other senior national security officials have tried to dissuade Mr. Trump from a wholesale troop withdrawal, arguing that such a significant national security policy shift would essentially cede foreign influence in Syria to Russia and Iran at a time when American policy calls for challenging both countries.... One possibility under discussion, officials said, was a phased withdrawal of American troops. But Mr. Trump, the officials said, seems to prefer pulling out all forces as soon as possible.”