Trump instructs military to begin planning for withdrawal from Syria
Source: Washington Post
President Trump has instructed military leaders to prepare to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, but has not set a date for them to do so, according to a senior administration official.
In a meeting with top national security officials Tuesday, Trump stressed that U.S. troops can be involved in current training tasks for local forces to ensure security in areas liberated from the Islamic State, the official said.
But the president said that the U.S. mission would not extend beyond the destruction of the Islamic State, and that he expects other countries, particularly wealthy Arab states in the region, to pick up the task of paying for reconstruction of stabilized areas, including sending their own troops, if necessary.
Trump on Tuesday had repeated his desire to quickly get out of Syria, even as his top commander for the Middle East outlined the need for an ongoing military presence there.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-instructs-military-to-begin-planning-for-withdrawal-from-syria/2018/04/04/1039f420-3811-11e8-8fd2-49fe3c675a89_story.html?utm_term=.c7b27fe7d2ac&wpisrc=al_news__alert-world--alert-national&wpmk=1
Dopers_Greed
(2,640 posts)IronLionZion
(45,453 posts)and dipshit would only make things worse so it's better for everyone if he gets out
renegade000
(2,301 posts)It's a disgrace. They are the only progressive, left-wing faction in the entire mess and we're leaving them to the wolves (Putin, Assad, Erdogon)
IronLionZion
(45,453 posts)and carve land out of Iraq, Syria, and even Turkey. Then when Turkey's right wing government throws us out, we can build a new air base in Kurdistan somewhere and put all our efforts into helping them be one fully functioning success story in that region with women's rights and social services and whatever else.
I'm still disappointed that Obama didn't do more to help the Kurds. I know some Kurdish-Americans and they are wonderful people who keep a positive optimism in spite of multiple US presidents screwing them over the decades.
Clarity2
(1,009 posts)We'd be abandoning syrian kurds who have been fighting all along with us. It's pretty much safe to say that Turkey would like to extinguish the kurds. And Assad & Putin will be free to commit even more war crimes.
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/white-house-chaos-jeopardizes-war-on-isis-u-s-commanders-warn-1199206467810
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)This time next week he'll say something completely different...
no_hypocrisy
(46,122 posts)During his presidential campaign rallies, Trump would trumpet that he was soooo smart, that he would never give away his military plans, to keep "our enemies" off balance. And here he is, telling ISIS to be patient, that the U.S. will be gone in a little while.
Trump even criticized Obama for announcing the U.S. military would lessen its presence in Afghanistan.
dchill
(38,503 posts)How many times will this black hole of morality commit treason before the GOP decides to do its job?
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)Donald Trump is a two faced, lying, Putin entangled autocrat wannabe....but isnt it good thing that we are getting out of the Middle East?
The founding fathers never intended for us to be an empire.
Arkansas Granny
(31,518 posts)TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)Last edited Wed Apr 4, 2018, 01:32 PM - Edit history (1)
Everywhere outside the U.S. that we have placed our forces they have become a permanent presence, at least generally putting us in a position of having a say in these countries affairs. Leaving the world to some one like Putin may be worse, but we should at least have the honesty to admit after all these decades that we progressives have advocated retiring our forces to our own shores that we are now OK with a new Cold War.
Clarity2
(1,009 posts)in the middle east is crucial to peace around the world and here in the U.S., and preventing the proliferation of terrorism.
So is promoting democracy. Unfortunately, the middle east isn't interested in Democracies.
If we pull out now, those Kurds fighting ISIS may be attacked by Assad, Russia & Turkey. They were the most effective force against ISIS. Want to see ISIS get a stranglehold again in Syria? Take away the syrian kurds. Then the U.S. is back to Syria again with higher amounts of troops.
Or Syria/Russia just bombs the hell out of the place, drops chemical weapons on civilians, and commits genocide.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)That we are just a global policeman and we need to accept it? Is there ever a point when we can decide our presence is no longer necessary and go home? Do you realize we still have soldiers in Germanymore than 70 years after WW2. When does it end?
Clarity2
(1,009 posts)just a presence sends a message to fascist dictators like Putin (note that Trump didn't send this "msg", he didn't take office till Jan 20): https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/us-troops-germany-russia/index.html
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)When I studied German in college our instructor was a man who grew up in Germany during the Second World War. One day he told us that the irony of all war is that in the end you will become what you originally set out to destroy. This should inform us that there is ultimately nothing exceptional in the American empire. What began as a well intentioned desire to resist tyranny abroad may end in ourselves becoming the tyrants.
Clarity2
(1,009 posts)protecting our allies from Putin or invasion from nefarious countries qualifies us as tyrants.
TranssexualKaren
(364 posts)But it opens the door to us becoming tyrants.
Clarity2
(1,009 posts)anything in this world is possible. It doesnt mean we walk away from dictators taking complete control on the off chance.
Odoreida
(1,549 posts)Equinox Moon
(6,344 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,321 posts)Interesting how 2 'mainstream' outlets can report this differently:
"He wasnt thrilled about it, to say the least," the official said.
Defense Secretary James Mattis and other top officials made the case to Trump that the fight against ISIS was almost finished but a complete withdrawal of U.S. forces at this time would risk losing gains the U.S. has made in the fight, the official said.
Mattis told the president the Pentagon was already reducing the number of U.S. forces and would continue to do so, though he did not give the president a set time frame for the end of the U.S. mission in Syria, the official said. The official said Trump "wasnt thrilled about that either," but agreed to give the effort more time.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-agrees-keep-u-s-troops-syria-undetermined-time-defeat-n862691
Devil Child
(2,728 posts)I have been opposed to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lybia, Yemen, and all the other tar pits we have stumbled into since 9/11. Involving ourselves in the Syrian civil war was and continues to be a tragic mistake. However, I believe Trump is lying through his teeth and will not withdraw US forces. Nothing more than impulsive utterances from a demented old dotard.