Trump declares victory against ISIS in Syria, orders withdrawal of US troops
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared victory over ISIS in Syria and signaled for withdrawal of US troops from war torn Syria. Trump’s announcement surprised allies and coalition partners fighting ISIS in Syria.
Trump wrote on twitter, “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency”.
We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
In a video posted on twitter, Trump said, “We have won against ISIS… We’ve beaten them and we have beaten them badly. We’ve taken back the land. And now it’s time for our troops to come back home”.
After historic victories against ISIS, it’s time to bring our great young people home! pic.twitter.com/xoNjFzQFTp
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump’s decision to pull out troops doesn’t mean an end of global coalition, she said, “These victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign”.
She said, “We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign”.
President Trump has been pitching for withdrawal of US troops from Syria for long time but allies resisted it citing that ISIS threat is still there and lot of to be done against Jihadists.
A government spokesman of Britain said in a statement, “much remains to be done… We must not lose sight of the threat they pose. Even without territory, (IS) will remain a threat”.
US is fighting against ISIS in Syria since 2014 and having around 2000 ground troops in northern part of the country and some near the Iraq and Jordan border.
Syria has accused US many times of keeping its forces illegally and without the consent of Syrian government and has asked for removal of troops. Syria and its allies Russia and Iran blamed US for supporting ISIS and other terrorist groups on Syrian soil.
Early on Wednesday, Russia slammed US presence in Syria as the dangerous obstacle in establishment of peace. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing, “From being a factor in the fight against terrorism, the illegal American presence in Syria is becoming a dangerous obstacle to the path to a settlement”.
Russia is the main ally of Syrian government and started its campaign against terrorist organization and opposition forces in 2015.