US may withdraw all troops from Syria in April
The Pentagon will push ahead with a plan to withdraw all troops stationed in Syria in March and complete it a month later.
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US military forces stationed in Syria. Photo:Reuters. |
The US military is planning to withdraw most of its 2,000 troops in Syria by mid-March and will completely withdraw its forces from the Middle Eastern country by the end of April unless the Trump administration makes any delaying decisions,WSJFebruary 7, citing sources from US officials.
An anonymous US official confirmed toReuterson the goal of a complete withdrawal by April, saying that US forces stationed at the Tanf base in southern Syria would also return home.
In December, Trump unexpectedly announced the withdrawal of all US forces from Syria, affirming that the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) militants was almost won. Trump's decision surprised many officials at the White House, the Pentagon, and US allies.
The US is seeking to negotiate with Türkiye to secure the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Washington's key ally in the fight against IS in Syria. Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist organization and has threatened to attack the group after the US withdrawal.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Robertson declined to comment on the planned withdrawal. A Turkish official said the US had not given Ankara any specific notice about when the withdrawal would be completed.
