TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Order for US military withdrawal from Syria signed: Pentagon

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Washington, United States
Mon, December 24, 2018

Share This Article

Change Size

Order for US military withdrawal from Syria signed: Pentagon This February 26, 2013 handout photograph courtesy of the US Air Force shows US soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment talking after a routine inspection of a Patriot missile battery at a Turkish military base in Gaziantep, Turkey. The United States said Wednesday, December 19, 2018 it had approved the sale of $3.5 billion in missiles to Turkey, months after US outrage over Ankara's major arms purchase from Russia. The State Department announced the sale, which includes 80 Patriot guidance missiles, hours after President Donald Trump said the United States would withdraw from neighboring Syria. MSgt Sean M. Worrell / US AIR FORCE / AFP (AFP/-)

T

he order has been signed for the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, where they have been deployed to assist in the war against the Islamic State jihadist group, a US military spokesperson said on Sunday.

"The execute order for Syria has been signed," the spokesperson told AFP, without providing further details.

US President Donald Trump has declared the jihadist group "largely defeated," and made the surprise decision to bring US forces home -- a move that many US politicians and international allies fear is premature and would further destabilize the already devastated region.

The decision -- which was followed by another to make a significant cut to the number of American troops in Afghanistan -- has prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and US envoy to the international anti-IS coalition Brett McGurk.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.