US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States would get out of Syria slowly “over a period of time” and would protect the US-backed Kurdish fighters in the country as Washington draws down troops.
Trump did not provide a timetable for the planned military exit from Syria, which he announced last month against the advice of top national security aides and without consulting lawmakers or US allies participating in anti-ISIS operations.
The decision prompted Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to resign. Trump said on Wednesday he had essentially fired Mattis, whose letter of resignation was seen as a sharp rebuke to the Republican president.
During a Cabinet meeting at the White House in front of reporters, Trump said he had never set a reported four-month timetable for the withdrawal of 2,000 American troops stationed in Syria amid a battle against ISIS militants.
“We’re getting out and we’re getting out smart,” Trump said. “I never said I’m getting out tomorrow.” He declined to be specific about how long troops would remain in Syria.
In recent days, Trump appeared to back off from any hasty pullout and stressed that the operation would be slow. “We’re slowly sending our troops back home to be with their families, while at the same time fighting ISIS remnants,” he said on Twitter on Monday.
-
Aunt, cousins of Syria’s Assad pay millions to get UK residency
British authorities ‘secretly’ granted the aunt and cousins of Syrian President Bashar al Assad the right to live in the UK, after the ... Middle East -
Syria rebels and extremists clash, killing 19
Clashes between extremists and rebels in northern Syria have killed at least 19 people, a war monitor said Tuesday.The fighting, pitting ... Middle East -
US pullout from Syria, a trap or a true lifeline?
The US withdrawal from Syria without a pull-out from Iraq is deemed as a plot. Russia will host a trilateral meeting in January to discuss the ... Middle East -
What is the role of Turkey in Syria?
One of the main reasons for the Syrian revolution against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad was the support they received from regional countries, ... Middle East