US pullout from Syria starts amid confusion over timetable

Colonel Sean Ryan, spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State (IS), confirmed the process had gotten under way on Friday amid confusion over how quickly troops would begin to leave.

President Donald Trump shocked the world when he announced that servicemen and women were to pull out of Syria just before Christmas, prompting criticism from defence secretary Jim Mattis .

Image: US Marine forces have been posted near the town of Tal Baydar in northeast Syria

The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had “dangerous implications” for stability and British defence minister Tobias Ellwood said he “strongly disagreed” with the American leader.

It appeared to be enough to prompt Mr Trump , but the update Colonel Ryan provided would make it seem as though those reports were exaggerated.

Image: US forces and SDF fighting IS in eastern Syria in December 2018

The Baghdad-based official did not give further details on how many vehicles or troop units have been withdrawn, adding: “Out of concern for operational security, we will not discuss specific timelines, locations or troops movements.”

Originally it was announced that the 2,000 US troops in Syria would be pulled out over the course of 60 to 100 days.

But US national security adviser John Bolton later insisted the US would not leave until IS was defeated, with that the terror group had “morphed into other forms of extremism” and “is very much alive”.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also said he disagreed with Mr Trump, that Britain had become resigned to Syrian President Bashar al Assad remaining in power and Russia gaining a new sphere of influence.

Image: Men identified by Kurdish fighters as US special forces ride in trucks in Raqqa province in 2016

Mr Trump has given differing signals over the future of US involvement in Syria in recent weeks, although has been less vocal on his strategy amid .

After initially tweeting that he would bring US troops back “now”, Mr Trump this week said the US would “be leaving at a proper pace” while “continuing to fight IS and doing all else that is prudent and necessary”.

1:01 Video: Hunt: Russia has gained responsibility in Syria

He has previously taken pride in US involvement in Syria, having praised the work of his military after joining France and the UK in airstrikes against the Assad regime .

But , the president warned allies that the US was no longer going to act as policeman for the world.

He said: “If they want us to do the fighting, they also have to pay a price – and sometimes that‘s also a monetary price – so we‘re not the suckers of the world.”

The news that a withdrawal had begun was noted on Thursday by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the UK, which monitors activity in the war-town country through a network of activists.

It said a convoy of ten armoured vehicles and some trucks had pulled out of Rmeilan, in Syria‘s north west, into Iraq.

Source: US pullout from Syria starts amid confusion over timetable | Felton Business News