After focusing last week on the US slowing down the Syrian withdrawal,
John Bolton’s comments over the weekend about the pullout being
conditional is adding questions. Many make it unclear if the pullout is
happening at all.
The White House seems determined not to really clarify the matter at all. On Monday, their new statement claimed that Trump’s position is “unchanged.”
Since Trump has repeatedly scoffed at media reports trying to guess
what his position on Syria actually boils down to, that’s not very
enlightening.
To the extent they elaborated at all, they again emphasized that the
process is slow and will “take time” to make sure that the troops are
safe. There is no timetable, and it is expected to take several months.
With the Syrian Kurdish plans resting heavily on what happens with the
pullout, they are pushing the matter with the US, asking for
clarifications on the exact intentions of the US going forward, noting
that the US has not informed them of any changes yet.
As Questions Grow, White House Says Position on Syria Withdrawal Unchanged
Kurds are seeking clarification on conflicting statements
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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