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US-MILITARY-SYRIA-WITHDRAWAL
Order for US military withdrawal from Syria signed: Pentagon
WASHINGTON, Dec 24, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The 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.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0822 HRS