US officials had already made a big deal of withdrawing from northern Syria, but President Trump on late Saturday has finally ordered a full withdrawal from the area, covering about 1,000 troops that were still in potential combat areas.
Among the troops withdrawing were the personnel in a US base at Ayn
al-Issa. Turkish forces were approaching the area, and had cut off US
supply lines by seizing the highway. Keeping the base at that point
seemed no longer feasible.
That the Pentagon is reporting this new order covers 1,000 troops in
northern Syria is interesting, as just days ago the US claimed to have
only 15-100 troops left there, when they came under fire from Turkish
artillery. Even before that, Trump claimed the US had only ever had 50
troops there in the first place, as to downplay the pullback.
It is not clear from the reports where these 1,000 troops are going,
though so far there is no indication that the US is actually leaving
Syria. Rather, it is likely they’ll just move deeper south, as to give
Turkey more room to operate.
With Turkey moving its troops deeper into Syria, and Syria’s Army advancing into
the area to resist them, the fight could get very complicated very
quickly. The US clearly doesn’t want to get directly involved, though
these slow, incomplete pullouts mean the US is also determined to keep a
toehold in the country.
Secrecy and obfuscation is the only policy.
More proof that no one can rely on US troop quantity estimates or official Pentagon or Trump statements. There are always going to be more than expected.
Supposedly “only” 3,000 are going to Saudi Arabia to “confront Iran.” Expect a lot more – probably closer to 10,000 – to be followed by scores of thousands more as the build up to the Iran war continues after the next “justification.”
One way they sometimes cover up the real numbers is by talking about the combat troop component and leaving out support/logistics personnel.
Those U.S Soldiers in Syria are truly orphans. No mission, just acting as a door stop towards progress and stability.
it is not important what the “US” says, or Trump. All that matters is what our Zionist masters say and do.
As the SAA rushes north to engage the Turks on the border, the U.S. is moving south to rally around the oil wells. We can’t let the Syrians ever get their oil back. I engaged in wishful thinking that the Syrian people might benefit from their own property.
“That the Pentagon is reporting this new order covers 1,000 troops in northern Syria is interesting, as just days ago the US claimed to have only 15-100 troops left there”
“15-100 troops”? That just seems like a strange estimate and one given without much thought. Typical pentagon bullshit.
Damascus is NOT advancing to resist them — but to pick up villages and towns from which YPG is moving out. Turkey is perfectly Ok with that. This will expand the area of Syrian control. I would like to see Syria take Manbij and Raqqa where Kurds are minority and YPG without US muscle cannot survive. This will allow Syria to reclaim a great deal of territory without Turkey having to go there, US will have to fluff this off somehow. The question is — how far South.