JEDDAH: US President Donald Trump has told advisers he wants an early exit of US troops from Syria, two senior administration officials said on Friday — a stance that may put him at odds with top US officials.
During a speech in Richfield, Ohio, the US leader revealed his aim to withdraw American forces from Syria and turn over security to regional countries.
Trump said that following allied victories against Daesh militants, “we’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon.”
“Let the other people take care of it now. Very soon, very soon, we’re coming out,” he said. “We’re going to get back to our country, where we belong, where we want to be.”
However, a Syrian opposition spokesman, Yahya Al-Aridi, told Arab News that the region’s strategic importance meant it was unlikely the US would act on the president’s demand.
The US presidency is not the only entity that decides strategic matters, he said. “It is not like any other country where the president speaks and everybody follows like a herd.”
Al-Aridi said the Middle East is of high strategic importance to the US because the region, especially Syria, is linked to America’s national security.
“The US has established many bases in Syria. There is Russia, Iran, Turkey and the allied forces. The US could play a more important role at the political level to find out a political solution to the Syrian crisis. This requires seriousness and standing up to Russian belligerence and its militarization of the whole conflict,” Al-Aridi said.
Syrians hope that no foreign power remains in the country after the conflict, he said.
Asked if a US withdrawal would help Daesh, Al-Aridi said: “(Barack) Obama said he needed 15 years to get rid of Daesh. Four months ago, from Hmeimim, (Vladimir) Putin declared that he defeated Daesh. We don’t know whether the terror group has been defeated. There are some spots where Daesh is being mobilized and we consider it a company everybody contributes to and uses as a pretext.”
Daesh is “a gun for hire,” he said. “It was mainly used by the (Bashar) Assad regime in order to justify the military action against Syrian people.”
The radical terror group is being used by these powers and “the losers in all of this are the Syrian people,” Al-Aridi said.
He highlighted the “cunning of Iran and its coordination” and cited the example of buses that carried Daesh terrorists from western Syria to eastern Syria “under the protection of the Assad regime and Tehran.”
The Daesh factor is being manipulated to serve their interests, Al-Aridi said.
Two members of the US-led anti-jihadist coalition, an American and a Briton, were killed by an improvised explosive device in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, US and British officials said on Friday.
Five other coalition service personnel were wounded, the Pentagon said.
Syrian opposition casts doubt on Trump threat to pull out troops
Syrian opposition casts doubt on Trump threat to pull out troops
Ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days, Syrian army says
- The defense ministry said the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants to Iraq
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension
RAQQA, Syria: Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.
The defense ministry said in a statement that the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension.
“Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability,” the group said in a statement.
Over the past three weeks, there have been intense clashes between government forces and the SDF, in which the SDF lost large parts of the area they once controlled.
Earlier in the day, the Kurdish-led force called on the international community to prevent any escalation.
The end of the truce came as government forces have been sending reinforcements to Syria’s northeast.
Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.
A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.
The SDF said in a statement Saturday that military buildups and logistical movements by government forces have been observed, “clearly indicating an intent to escalate and push the region toward a new confrontation.” The SDF said it will continue to abide by the truce.
On Saturday, state TV said authorities on Saturday released 126 boys under the age of 18 who were held at the Al-Aqtan prison near the northern city of Raqqa that was taken by government forces Friday. The teenagers were taken to the city of Raqqa where they were handed over to their families, the TV station said.
The prison is also home to some of the 9,000 members of the Daesh group who are held in northeastern Syria. Most of them remain held in jails run by the SDF. Government forces have so far taken control of two prisons while the rest are still run by the SDF.
Earlier this week, the US military said that some 7,000 Daesh detainees will be transferred to detention centers in neighboring Iraq.
On Wednesday, the US military said that 150 prisoners have been taken to Iraq.
