We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
VOX: No one knows what’s happening with Trump’s Syria decision
The Pentagon and State Department seem completely blindsided by Trump’s ordered Syria withdrawal.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered the complete withdrawal of America’s 2,000 troops in Syria — a decision that seemed to surprise everyone, including his own administration.
And neither the Pentagon nor the State Department seems to have any idea what is supposed to happen next.
One senior administration official told me that “US forces will continue the fight against ISIS.” A spokesperson for the State Department didn’t say anything about forces continuing to fight in Syria, and instead directed me to the Pentagon and the White House for answers.
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Previous Post: President Trump Declares Victory Over ISIS In Syria. Orders Immediate Withdrawal Of U.S. Forces From Syria (December 19, 2018)
WNU Editor: What President Trump tweeted this morning did not make any mention that U.S. forces were going to leave (see above tweet). He was just saying that the reasons why U.S. forces were deployed in Syria a few years ago are no longer there. But the media then picked up the story, and quoting anonymous sources started a news cycle that U.S. forces were going to leave ASAP. Congress then got involved, with politicians saying that they were not informed. The Pentagon and State Department also got involved, saying that they were not informed that President Trump ordered a withdrawal. The only official word from the White House came from White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders in the afternon and she said the following .... "these victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the coalition or its campaign, we have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign” (from Reuters). To put it bluntly .... there is no mention from the White House of any quick withdrawal. My conclusion .... it looks like the media got ahead of itself. This has also happened before .... the news media carrying a story from a Presidential tweet that had no bearing to what the tweet was saying, and making the global rounds before everyone realizes it is an error or misunderstanding. In regards to today's tweet, we all know that U.S. forces will leave Syria one day, and that what is left of ISIS in Syria will be gone or completely degraded in the coming months. But considering what President Trump said in his tweet, and what White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said this afternoon .... U.S. forces are not going to be leaving as quickly as some were reporting today. But tomorrow is another day .... and maybe there will be an official announcement that U.S. forces will be leaving by a certain date.
Hat tip to Fred for the above VOX story.
