President Trump has continued to back away from his announced total US withdrawal from Syria this week, with administration officials on Thursday and Friday confirming that they now intend to keep 400 troops in Syria indefinitely after the pullout.
The US is estimated to have 2,000 troops in Syria presently, which Trump announced were all being withdrawn, as of late last year. On Thursday, officials indicated that 200 troops will stay to be part of an international stabilization force.
By Friday morning, however, the drawdown was cut back even further, with officials saying that in addition to the 200 troops already announced to be staying, a further 200 troops would remain at al-Tanf base on the Syrian border with Jordan and Iraq.
Hawkish Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) declared that the US troops will be confronting Iran, fighting ISIS, and protecting the Kurds from Turkey. The Tanf base troops seem likely in particular to be targeting Iran.
The US had previously tried and failed to convince Britain and France to stay while they left Syria, and it may ultimately be that this shift is intended to keep the Western European nations involved in the war.
This is an updated version of a previous story from Thursday night. That version only included the 200 troops staying in northern Syria, and not the extra 200.
Those 200 souls are being staged to be sacrificed as a pretext. They are literally trying to recreate the 83 Beirut bombing, but this time by design. By 2020, an “angry” giant will open a front in Syria.
Let’s see the arithmetic, 400 in Syria when he entered office, a promise to leave 200, rubbled cities, I think I’m tired of “winning”, which was another promise.
I take it Bashar is cool with that.
That I doubt, Solly; Bashar wants ALL US troops out of his country. They were never invited in, anyway.
There are other Jihadists inside the area wherein US troops patrol, such as Al-Qaeda, who’d murder them with a bomb or IED device. 4 US soldiers were recently murdered by an ISIS suicide bomber. If Trump held on to his promise to remove all US troops from Syria, those 4 would still be alive and well today. Instead, he caved in to the 2 traitors and murderers Bonkers Bolton and Pompous Pompass; thus, making him an accomplice.
Quite so. Whatever we are doing and have done in Syria is in pursuit of abstractions, lies, and the interests of other nations. The death of those men was entirely unnecessary and the reason for their being there is no consolation to their families. Anyone who has ever seen a dead American soldier or soldiers knows what a sad thing that is. More deaths can now take place for no reason at all. An evil waste of lives of our compatriots. French military headstones say “Died for France.” If we had a standard inscription for our military grave markers other than the bare factual one it would lately be “Died for Nothing.”
Marla Maples. Stormy Daniels. Syria. Trump doesn’t pull out.
Every sexually active person knows that the withdrawal method doesn’t work.
Isn’t that about what he started with?
Doesn’t seem like many. Maybe he’s looking for his own Benghazi moment.
Considering one guy with a modern radio and clearance can rain down the full fire effect of the US Navy and air assets in range, 200 is a lot. This is the joke of “withdrawal”, they don’t count the assets able and permitted to strike Syria, as “deployed in Syria”. The actual word that’s needed is “disengagement”. Havnt heard that one at all, for a reason.
What a fool. It’s the Jared Kushner ME policy. 200 troops just to be there. Magnificent!
Right, Ace, 200 troops to be sacrificed .. for what??!! That’s murder in my book. Jared Kushner’s now a war criminal, besides being a scam artist. Revoke his security clearances and hand him over to the DOJ.
Who is that guy? I voted for Trump and now this college boy has his ear. Really? Every president brings in a boatload of strangers. The nepotism angle frosts me no end. One New York real estate investor in the White House is plenty.
In other words, no justice and no peace, just more bullshit.
Shouldn’t it be now called a partial pullout? A complete pullout would be something that we wish Trump’s daddy had done some 70+ years ago.
upped to at least 400 troops now. NE Syria and Al-Tanf. Yep, he lied.