The United States President, Donald Trump abruptly announced the withdrawal of troops from Syria, claiming victory over the Islamic State (ISIS). The US ally, Syrian Democratic Forces now fears potential instability and danger for Syria
On Tuesday night senior Whitehouse officials were informed about the United States President, Donald Trump’s decision to initiate an abrupt and rapid withdrawal of over two thousand US troops from Syria.
The news of the sudden withdrawal was out by Wednesday. This was followed by a statement on the President’s twitter handle, stating, “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” While US President claimed the Islamic State’s defeat, in April, a Pentagon assessment claimed there were over fourteen thousand ISIS fighters in Syria.
After reports of withdrawal came out, Whitehouse spokesperson, Sarah Sanders asserted, “Five years ago, ISIS was a very powerful and dangerous force in the Middle East, and now the United States has defeated the territorial caliphate” further adding, “We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign.”
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), actively fighting the Islamic State in Syria have expressed concerns of increased terror post the President’s decision. The US ally has asserted that the withdrawal may lead to “dangerous implications for international stability”.
The SDF statement further averred, “The war against Islamic state has not ended and the Islamic State has not been defeated” and US withdrawal was likely to “create a political and military vacuum in the area, leaving its people between the claws of hostile parties”.
European nations of France and Britain also have troops deployed in Syria to fight the ISIS. Tobias Ellwood of Britain’s Ministry of Defence responded to the US President’s tweet by asserting, “I strongly disagree. It [ISIS] has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive”.
