Leaving Syria

From the BBC:

"Syria's Kurds say Trump US troop pullout harms anti-IS fight"

A Kurdish-led alliance in Syria says President Donald Trump's surprise decision to withdraw US troops will allow the Islamic State (IS) group to recover. A statement from the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) warned of a military vacuum that would leave the alliance trapped between "hostile parties" Mr Trump made the announcement on Wednesday, saying IS had been defeated. However, major allies and some US politicians have disputed the claim. A US partnership with the SDF - an alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters - is credited with playing a major role in the virtual elimination of IS after it overran large swathes of Syria four years ago. About 2,000 US troops have largely been stationed in the Kurdish region in northern Syria. US officials quoted by Reuters news agency say that in addition, air attacks against IS will cease. The SDF statement warned that the withdrawal would "negatively impact" the anti-IS campaign and allow the group "to revive itself again". It said the US move would have "dangerous implications" for regional stability and "create a political and military vacuum... leaving its people between the claws of hostile parties". Neighbouring Turkey has said it is poised to launch a military operation against the Kurdish YPG militia - the main fighting force in the SDF - which it regards as a terrorist group. US support for the group has strained relations between Washington and Ankara. The Pentagon said it was transitioning to the "next phase of the campaign" to eliminate IS but did not provide further details. President Trump, who has long pledged to pull troops out of Syria, said on Twitter that it was time to bring them home after their "historic victories". In a later tweet, he defended his decision and said it should not have come as a surprise. The White House would not give a timescale for the withdrawal but defence officials quoted by the New York Times said President Trump wanted it done within 30 days.  Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is one of Mr Trump's supporters and sits on the armed services committee, called the withdrawal decision a "huge Obama-like mistake", which would have "devastating consequences" both in Syria and beyond. He said he feared it would mean ceding influence in the region to Russia and Iran. Mr Trump's announcement came only a week after Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy for the global coalition to defeat IS, cautioned against a US withdrawal from Syria. "Obviously, it would be reckless if we were just to say, well, the physical caliphate is defeated, so we can just leave now. I think anyone who's looked at a conflict like this would agree with that," he told reporters at the state department.  The UK government distanced itself from President Trump's assertion that IS had been defeated. "Much remains to be done and we must not lose sight of the threat they pose," a Foreign Office statement said. French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Twitter that IS was weakened but not "wiped from the map". German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the US decision risked damaging the fight against IS. Israel said it had been told the US had "other ways to have influence in the area" but it would "study the timeline [of the withdrawal], how it will be done and of course the implications for us". Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at his annual news conference, welcomed the US decision but said he had so far seen no signs of a US pull-out. "The US has been in Afghanistan for 17 years and they always say they are withdrawing," he cautioned.  As well as having troops in the north-east, the US has also been part of an international coalition conducting air strikes against IS and other militants. Although diminished, IS has not disappeared entirely. A recent US report said there were still as many as 14,000 IS militants in Syria and even more in neighbouring Iraq.

^ This kind of sounds like the decision Obama made (when he sent all US troops home from Iraq) that turned out to be a colossal mistake for him and the world since it allowed ISIS to take over land in Iraq and murder thousands - forcing the US back into Iraq. The only difference with Syria is that the Turks, Russians, French, Germans and Brits are also there. Maybe they can stem ISIS' return. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-46632657