The USA announced on Wednesday that it began the complete withdrawal of its contingent of 2,000 troops from Syria.
All troops are expected to be out of the country within 60 to 100 days. Trump justified the move with an early-morning tweet claiming that the US defeated the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS).
White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders, however, also said in a statement that, “These victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the coalition or its campaign,” adding, “We have started returning the US troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign.”
Washington also announced that all state department personnel will be evacuated within the next 24 hours.
On the other hand, Dana W. White, the spokesperson for the Department of Defence, said that, “The Coalition has liberated the ISIS-held territory, but the campaign against ISIS is not over.”
White also stated that the US started the process of returning its troops from Syria as “We transition to the next phase of the campaign,” adding, “We will continue working with our partners and allies to defeat ISIS wherever it operates.”
