TEHRAN, Jan 12 - The US-led coalition against Daesh has begun the process of withdrawing from Syria, a spokesman said on Friday, indicating the start of pull-out was not clear.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The coalition “has begun the process of our deliberate withdrawal from Syria. Out of concern for operational security, we will not discuss specific timelines, locations or troop movements,” Colonel Sean Ryan said.
Residents near border crossings that are typically used by US forces going in and out of Syria from Iraq said they had seen no obvious or large-scale movement of US ground forces on Friday.
US President Donald Trump’s announcement last month that he had decided to withdraw 2,000 US troops stunned allies that have joined Washington in the battle against Deash terrorist group in Syria.
Senior US officials were shocked too, among them Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who quit in protest.
Operation Inherent Resolve is the name of a US military campaign launched in August 2014 after the Daesh terrorist Takfiri group overran large swaths of Syria and Iraq.
The US has ever since maintained military presence in Syria without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.
The Pentagon statement came after US President Donald Trump called for a swift troop pullout on December 19, alleging the defeat of Daesh and surprising many within the US establishment and abroad.
The announcement further resulted in the resignation of Secretary of Defense James Mattis, US anti-Daesh coalition envoy Brett McGurk and Pentagon chief of staff Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney who disapproved of the president's decision.
Trump, nevertheless, seemingly gave in to pressure to slow down the troops pullout two weeks later, granting the US military up to four months to withdraw.
Source: Reuters
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