President Donald J. Trump ordered the withdrawal of the roughly two thousand U.S. troops in Syria, saying the United States has achieved “historic victories” (Twitter) against the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
The White House did not give a timetable (NYT) for the withdrawal, and the move faces opposition from Pentagon and State Department officials, as well as lawmakers from both parties. Top officials in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany warned against the decision (BBC) and disputed Trump’s claim that the militant group has been defeated, while Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the move (WaPo). The Syrian Democratic Forces, a group of Kurdish and Arab militias allied with the United States that controls parts of northeastern Syria, said the withdrawal will leave them trapped between “hostile parties.”
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