US forces, accompanied by Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) fighters, drive their armoured vehicles near the northern Syrian village of Darbasiyah, on the border with Turkey on April 28, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / DELIL SOULEIMANfor
In a new confusing development, U.S. officials told the New York Times on January 11 that the U.S. has withdrawn no troops from Syria. According to the report, only some units of military qeuipment have been withdrawn.
The officials went on to reveal that the number of American troops in Syria might actually increase in the coming days in order to support the final push against the remaining ISIS fighters in the Euphrates Valley.
Earlier, the US-led coalition announced that it has began the process of deliberate withdrawal from Syria. The new statements don’t only contradict with this announcement, but also with a recent report of the Syrian Observatory for Human Right (SOHR). The SOHR stressed that up to 150 U.S. service members have withdrawn from northeastern Syria today.
The decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria was first announced by the White House on December 19. Since then, the Western media and many political figures in Washington have been criticizing the decision and trying to manipulate it. These new statement are likely a part of these efforts.
Moscow has doubted the seriousness of the withdrawal decision many times, while Damascus has not commented on the matter so far. This reflects the lack of trust to the current administration in Washington.
