The US initially planned to deploy their forces to Syria for 3 months, but eventually the US troops stayed there several years, US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on December 22.
….going to be there for three months, and that was seven years ago – we never left. When I became President, ISIS was going wild. Now ISIS is largely defeated and other local countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take care of whatever remains. We’re coming home!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2018
On December 19, Trump once again claimed that the US had defeated ISIS in Syria. He said that this was the only reason for the US troops being there, so all US troops would be pulled out of the war-torn country.
According to reports, the US would withdraw its entire force of 2,000 service members from Syria within 60 to 100 days. Along with this, US Department of Defense Spokesperson Dana White stressed that “the campaign against ISIS is not over” and that the US “will continue working with our partners and allies to defeat ISIS wherever it operates.”
There are little doubts that the US Special Operations Forces will remain in the country.
Trump’s decision to pull the troops from Syria has startled not only US allies, including in the Middle East, but also members of the US Congress. Some influential senators of both parties have opposed Trump’s step.
Meanwhile, France already stated that its forces will remain in the country.
