FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

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Pentagon Confirms Syria Withdrawal Plan, Calls It ‘Strong, Deliberate’

Jan. 9, 2019 (EIRNS)—The Hill reported yesterday that the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition has now approved a U.S. withdrawal plan that is “conditions-based” and has no timeline. Operation Inherent Resolve “has an approved framework for the withdrawal of forces from Syria, and is now engaged in executing that withdrawal,” Cmdr. Sean Robertson said in a statement. “That framework is conditions-based and will not subject troop withdrawal to an arbitrary timeline. The framework will be influenced by a number of factors, including weather.”

The Pentagon’s latest statement specifies that the United States “will continue to provide support to the Coalition’s operation in Syria while withdrawing troops in a strong, deliberate and coordinated manner in order to ensure U.S. forces’ safety and protection,” The Hill reports. Robertson said that, for operational security reasons, the Pentagon will not discuss actual troop movements, but instead will provide periodic updates “on progress regarding percentages of equipment removed from Syria.”