Dec 19, 2018, 11:33 am
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/worl...361385002/
Quote:President Donald Trump has ordered the more than 2,000 U.S troops in Syria be withdrawn as quickly as possible from their posts, according to a U.S. official.
The withdrawal is based Trump's decision that the mission against the Islamic State is complete, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly before it is announced.
In a tweet on Wednesday morning, Trump declared victory over the Islamic State in Syria.
“We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” he wrote.
But despite Trump’s claims that the war against the Islamic State has been won, fighting by U.S.-led forces continues there.
On Saturday, there were 47 airstrikes conducted by war planes against ISIS targets, U.S. Central Command announced early Wednesday. The bombs struck 20 ISIS fighting units, destroyed petroleum tanks, a tunnel, vehicle and a mortar-firing position.
Further, according to a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, it is far from obliterated. The Washington-based think tank estimates ISIS may still possess between 20,000 to 30,000 militants in Iraq and Syria.
As recently as last week, officials said U.S. troops may need a longer stay to insure that the military's accomplishments are "enduring."
"I think it's fair to say Americans will remain on the ground after the physical defeat of the caliphate, until we have the pieces in place to ensure that that defeat is enduring," said Brett McGurk, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.
