With just a week left before his new departure date, Defense Secretary James Mattis has signed the official order to withdraw US troops from Syria. Mattis had opposed the withdrawal, and it is seen as a major reason for his resignation.
The withdrawal will see some 2,000 US troops removed from Syria, a plan
announced last week. It is believed that Turkey will be replacing the US
in that part of eastern Syria, though this will involve Turkey fighting
the Kurdish YPG.
Mattis followed the initial announcement up of his withdrawal with an
announced plan to resign by the end of February. With reports of him
criticizing Trump, he was subsequently ordered to leave at year’s end.
Trump has issued a further series of statements since then criticizing
Mattis, saying Mattis did not see a problem with the US subsidizing the
militaries of rich countries, or allowing them to “take total advantage of the US and our TAXPAYERS, on Trade.”
Mattis Signs Order to Withdraw US Troops From Syria
Trump: Mattis so no problem with rich countries taking advantage of US taxpayers
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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