Some early reports suggested that the US could be out of Syria within 30
days, but when Defense Secretary James Mattis signed the order last
week, there was no timetable attached. Now, US officials say that the full withdrawal could take several months.
This is based on the most recent set of plans, based on President
Trump’s call for a “deliberate and orderly withdrawal of US forces.”
Several months is a long time, however, and may not be in keeping with
the priority of getting out of the country before the Turkish invasion.
Moreover, it’s already been confirmed that the US is coordinating its
withdrawal with the Turkish government, in keeping with its planned
military operations. While Turkey hasn’t made any specific timetable for
its invasion, either, it has been suggested to begin much sooner than
several months from now, which may point to ongoing negotiations.
There is no official, publicly-available figure for the number of US
troops in Syria, but estimates are around 2,000. The withdrawal of 2,000
troops, particularly when they are all so close to Iraq, another nation
with a US military presence, seems like it could’ve been faster, and
any long delays are likely to be deliberate, and not a question of
logistics issues.
Commanders: US Withdrawal From Syria Could Take Several Months
No timetable established for removing 2,000 troops
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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