US begins Syria withdrawal but
troops remain
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| A line of US military vehicles in Syria's northern city of Manbij.- AFP |
It has emerged that the US military has started moving
non-essential equipment out of Syria - but troops will remain in the country,
for now.
By Nathan Morley
US media have been reporting that the withdrawal of American
military ground equipment from Syria is already underway.
But, it remains unclear when troops might leave, as no
timetable has been published. The United States currently has about 2,000
troops stationed in the country.
Early Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with
his Turkish counterpart to discuss the situation.
In particular, Washington has demanded that Kurds be
protected after US soldiers depart, it’s a request which has been roundly
rejected by Ankara.
The American military detachments in Syria are made up of
mostly special operations forces and have been working closely with Kurdish
groups like the People's Protection Units, or YPG, which are considered
terrorist organizations by the Turks.
Pompeo had earlier insisted there had been no contradiction
in the shifting US strategy in Syria or confusion about it.
The US pullout has angered Syrian Kurdish officials, who are
worried it could create yet another conflict in the country.
In a separate development, the Syrian state news agency
claims Israeli jets struck an ammunition warehouse at Damascus airport, few
other details are available.
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