U.S. Military Preparing for a Full Withdrawal of Its Forces From Syria

Wall Street Journal ^ | December 19thm 2018 | By Dion Nissenbaum and Nancy A. Youssef

[Mariner]

WASHINGTON—The U.S. military is preparing to withdraw its forces from Syria, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday, a move that marks an abrupt reversal of the American military strategy in the Middle East.

U.S. officials began informing partners in northeastern Syria of their plans to begin an immediate pullout of American forces from the region where they have been trying to wrap up the campaign against Islamic State, the people said.

[Drew68]

Actually, no

Renaming al Qaeda to "Free Syrian Army of Peace and Fluffy Bunnies" does not make it so.

[Sacajaweau]

Turkey, Iran and Russia are all at a table working “something” out. We’ve been the monkey in the middle long enough.

[Truth29]

Good, but the Kurds are going to be betrayed, again. Look for Turkey to start killing the Kurds in Syria by the thousands and reviving ISIS.

[bert]

That is an ignorant post

[Wuli]

“Happy Christmas, the war is over.”

Not so. Our leaving ends nothing. There is still the war in Northern Syria with our allies the Kurds wedged between Erdogan and the ISIS forces & other allied Islamists.

[allendale]

Perhaps one day soon the headline will read “All American troops withdrawn from Europe”. Then the real celebrations can begin.

[AppyPappy]

Trump, like Obama, has let the Pentagon take the reigns.

Obama killed more Muslims than any other President.

[Navy Patriot]

Sounds good to me.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

About time.

[hanamizu]

No more ISIS!

---

You realize that if ISIS (or ISIL as Obama insisted on calling it) is truly defeated, it will be another great victory for President Obama—just like the improved economy.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Turkey, Iran and Russia are all at a table working “something” out. We’ve been the monkey in the middle long enough."

Is that the three countries you are comfortable with 'working things out'? Are our national interests served by having those three working things out? By keeping a foothold there and protecting our allies the Kurds these countries will eventually have to work with us as well.

I'll give you an example of just one unintended consequence of us pulling out. What if Iran gains a larger influence in Syria? What if as Israel fears they start delivering more deadly rockets/missiles to their proxy Hezbollah who start operating out of Syria as well as Lebanon? What if Israel is forced to go into Syria to stop this? Can you see how this scenario could easily happen?

[GOPJ]

We should Kill the Muslim Syrian Refugee program now too !

Dump ALL refugee programs. If our military wants to 'reward' people who assist them - they can pay them cash - not citizenship.

And if people in these countries don't WANT to help us voluntarily then there's a good chance we don't belong there in the first place.

[Sacajaweau]

It’s what’s happening right now. Our foothold just doesn’t exist.

[Sacajaweau]

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20181120-netanyahu-russia-cannot-push-iran-out-of-syria-on-its-own/

[DarthVader]

I could care less what OFudgePackUla has to say anymore.

[McGruff]

For once I don't consider this a good move.

The move follows a call last week between Mr. Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has threatened to launch an assault on America’s Kurdish partners in Syria.

Kurds getting thrown under the bus again.

[9YearLurker]

Afghanistan over the rogue CIA’s dead drug-dealer body.

[upchuck]

The Mideast has been unsettled for centuries. About time the US realized we’re just in the way. Pull out and let them settle it for themselves.

[KC_Lion]

Ping!

[mac_truck]

Good. Can we take our equipment back with us this time?

Not the stuff the Syrian government took off Al Qaeda in southern Syria.