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Trump insists no U-turn on troops stay in Syria

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Trump insists no U-turn on troops stay in Syria

Washington - "I am not reversing course," Trump said at the White House.

By AFP

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Published: Sat 23 Feb 2019, 9:28 PM

Last updated: Sat 23 Feb 2019, 11:32 PM

President Donald Trump insisted on Friday he was not pulling an about-face on his Syria withdrawal plans, after it was announced hundreds of US troops would remain in the country.
The White House quietly dropped the news on Thursday that around 200 American "peace-keeping" soldiers would remain in northern Syria indefinitely, amid fierce criticism of Trump's decision to withdraw America's more than 2,000 troops there by April 30.
"I am not reversing course," Trump said at the White House, noting that 200 soldiers was only a "very small, tiny fraction" of the overall presence.
Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham heralded the move, claiming the residual forces would somehow catalyze a bigger presence by European allies who had baulked at the idea of committing troops to Syria minus an American ground presence.
"This 200 will attract probably 1,000 Europeans," Graham said in an interview with Fox News.
Trump said he watched Graham and supported leaving "a small force with others. Whether it's Nato troops or whoever it might be, so that (Daesh) doesn't start up again."
Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sean Robertson said the US troops would be part of a "multinational observing and monitoring force".


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