US Still Hunting for Allies to Stay in Syria

President Trump’s decision to scrap the withdrawal of all US troops from Syria in favor of keeping 200 troops at al-Tanf, and contributing another 200 troops to an international coalition force has made a lot of hawks happy. Keeping the troops in Syria was a top priority for many hawks.

All that’s missing in that plan is the international coalition force. The announcement that US troops were staying came immediately after Britain and France declined US calls to stay, and at the time it was generally believed that an enduring US presence was done to convince them to stay as well.

That’s not happening, and so far the US hasn’t found any commitments from any allies willing to stay in Syria. British, French, and German officials have so far declined any comment at all on the matter.

Some European nations were more willing to talk, however. They told reporters that they were reticent because the US proposal didn’t involve any specific plans for securing eastern Syria, or what else they’d actually be doing, beyond just being in Syria.