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© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018.Trump starts pulling U.S. forces from Syria
By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
87 Comments
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jcapan
Regardless of his reasons or the consequences, this liberal is happy the troops will be coming home. We have no business being there, we never did. Of course the neoconservatives are losing their minds.
Laguna
That's a problem with Trump. He'll make a decision in the early hours and tweet it out. Whether this decision was wise or foolish is well above my pay grade. But for the men and women on the ground, to be held hostage to a tweet is insulting and dangerous.
Jimizo
When did you start believing in a non-interventionist foreign policy? You supported the Iraq invasion, and along with your non-partisan historians, still regard the Bush 2 years as a success.
Was it when Trump became favourite to win the GOP nomination?
Bintaro
At least that's good for a laugh !
It's not surprising he's trying to take credit for defeating ISIS, but will he start pretending he did the fighting too ?
Jimizo
I don’t see any outrage here. They are questioning the motives.
Do you agree with Trump pulling the troops out? I do. It’s not clear what you actually think. You just seem to be ranting about Liberals again.
Silvafan
I'll leave this right here.
Dump knows what he's doing. He's a military genius. He once attended a military academy and got to parade around in a plummed helmet, striped pants, and waving a sword! Our Warrior-Prince Bonespur knows what he's doing! LOL!
Deadforgood
I for one am happy with the floated idea, not sure if it will happen yet though.
And I hope the reasons aren't for extra military budget to be spent on things like the wall and space force.
Deadforgood
@bass4funk
Not all liberals are against war. It's silly you could even begin to generalize something like that. Conservative media constantly slammed Clinton for being a warmonger during the election campaigns and a lot of wars have been fought under liberal presidency. So, I don't know where the basis for your argument comes from. A lot of posters here are just questioning his reasoning. Completely different. And what's so wrong with that?
SuperLib
Wow, front page on Fox:
Conservatives voice frustration after Trump signals 'gutless' retreat on border wall
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/conservatives-voice-frustration-after-trump-signals-gutless-retreat-on-border-wall
Just over a week after President Trump forcefully suggested he'd risk a government shutdown to secure border wall funding, the White House is now signaling a retreat -- and top conservative commentators and politicians are declaring that the president's "gutless" move has not only broken a campaign promise, but also undermined his credibility as a dealmaker.
"Trump will just have been a joke presidency who scammed the American people, amused the populists for a while, but he’ll have no legacy whatsoever" if he yields on the issue, columnist Ann Coulter told The Daily Caller in a podcast. (Within hours of those critical comments, Trump's official Twitter account stopped following Coulter's.)
And House Freedom Caucus Chair Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told Fox News late Wednesday that "the political fallout will start" soon and that Trump risks doing “major damage” to his re-election effort in 2020.”
Deadforgood
@wayne...lol...shaking my head right now. It might be good news (really don't know till they try) but, what makes you think Canada, France, and Britain plan on getting involved? And, were we doing any good being there in the first place? Really not so sure...
Laguna
Amazing Trump tweet:
Nice of him to let them know. Trump might have wanted to give a smidgen of heads-up to those actually involved in the process - well, aside from Netanyahu and Putin, who he apparently alerted regarding his move prior to his tweet.
I'm not saying that the decision was bad - handing that area of the Levant to Russia and Iran to figure out what to do with is actually kind of funny; we'll see how the handle it - but the process stinks.
lincolnman
Getting called "gutless" by his own party for retreating in Syria....
Just in - government funding bill passed Senate with NO border wall funding....
So much for "winning"....sounds big time losing to me.....
And we haven't even gotten to Mueller's news yet...
Silvafan
It seems Putin is calling in his cards early because they no the jig is up.
Mueller's getting closer, so the Manchurian candidate is openly doing the bidding of his Russian overlord. Dump is an ignorant pawn! Putin used his ego and greed to embarrass the US. What are the Dump defenders going to say now?
CrazyJoe
Every decision Trump makes Russia is a winner.
"We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there."
Another bottomless Pinocchio lie from Donald.
lincolnman
Doing what his Master Putin orders him to do.... and more distraction from the continuing daily bombshells that Mueller is dropping on him and his cronies...
sunfunbun
Trump makes decisions based on ulterior motive, and self purposes, so one has to be very suspicious of why he is doing this now.
Jimizo
Just for starters, can you answer why so many Democrats voted for the Iraq War?
gcbel
Donald’s just trying to change the headlines doing what he does best; declare a victory regardless of truth or facts of the matter, regardless of consequences. Self-serving as usual... looking after number 1. No other reason.
taj
Huh. Fox isn't taking it's eye off the ball.
SuperLib
Who knows what Trunp is doing. At this point it looks to be a tweet with no context which has taken everyone, even the generals, by surprise.
I want US soldiers out of there but it's anyone's guess how he will screw this up.
Wallace Fred
Look up operation mockingbird
No. No they really won't.
https://www.eurasiareview.com/15092018-us-congresswoman-gabbard-claims-trump-shielding-isis-al-qaeda-in-syria/
Concerned Citizen
I wouldn't like to be the one to have to decide these things. Damned if you do damned if you don't.
Nevertheless President Trump is following up on his two stated positions: defeating ISIS and not avoiding involvement in overseas conflict as much as possible. Well done.
I hope and pray for peaceful stability in Syria.
Sneezy
Conservatism is a right wing political position. You are also anti-immigrant, pro-war, pro-gun (even at the expense of the lives of thousands of children per year), and anti-care for the poor. You are a right winger. Just own it.
By your own admission you never signed up, so, this is true. It’s hard to leave when you never went.
Then you should be opposed to Trump’s troop withdrawal.
CrazyJoe
So the Kurds, who were almost the first to oppose ISIS, alongside the US, are betrayed again.
No one will soon ally themselves with the US, as betrayal seems to be the payment.
Rebuilding trust may take decades.
Hard to see any of this as anything but Vladimir Putin cashing in before the ship sinks.
Am I wrong?
smithinjapan
"Mission Accomplished!" once again.
taj
Is this sudden announcement just meant to distract from his climb down on getting a wall built?
jcapan
The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists was passed 3 days after September 11 and was virtually unanimous. 98-0 in the Senate and 420-1 in the House. The following year the Iraq War Resolution also passed with broad bipartisan support. 82 House Democrats voted for it and 29 Senate Democrats, including virtually every prominent party figure--Biden, Clinton, Kerry, Schumer, Edwards, you name it and they wanted war.
And if you were alive or paying attention at the time you might recall names like Howard Dean or eventually Barack Obama, candidates who attracted widespread support from millions of liberal Democrats still angry about Kerry and Clinton's votes for that latter resolution.
Strangerland
Trump trying to build his legacy before they give him the boot.
Blacklabel
liberals all for pulling the US out of Libya. Until Trump did it. Remember last week when it was gotta bring the military home from the border to spend the holidays with their families?
Now it’s leave all the military in Syria indefinitely for....reasons...and stuff.
Azzprin
More like every decision Trump makes is under his master Putin order.
Yes. Trump with draws US troops and lets his master Putin and Iran have a more free hand in Syria.
ISIS may have lost the homeland they tried to create but they are still not fully defeated. They have just went back below the rocks they came out from.
Assad gets to murder those who wants freedom and Putin gets to keep the Russian naval port in the mediterranean.
I agree
Shawn
something bad always fills the vaccum but if Trump has the US military train the locals and work it from the inside, maybe thats the plan. Trump is right though, Obama created the mess in Syria and Bush jr gave us Iraq
2020hindsights
Shawn
I beg to differ. Assad created the mess in Syria...
Michael G
The US tried and failed to oust Assad using their tool ISIS.
SuperLib
Who knows what he's up to on this one.
gelendestrasse
Just getting out of the way so the Turks can attack the Kurds without the US being caught in the middle....
Sneezy
Right wingers in 2016, including bass, believed that Hilary would be a warmonger and said this was a bad thing. Now right wingers, including bass, love war and are excited at the thought of the death of innocents.
stormcrow
Putin: Get the hell out of Syria!
Trump: Yes, sir!
Raw Beer
Now they'll have to stage another fake gas attack to be blamed on Assad. Isn't that what happened immediately after Trump previously talked about pulling out?
CrazyJoe
I wish this article had reminded us who is involved, and what is at stake. This is about Putin and Assad finally leveling any opposition. They've used chemical weapons, they've bombed playgrounds and hospitals, and now the Trump administration, in what was surely at Putin's request, wants to bow out and leave those despots to murder everybody who resisted.
I hope our military calls Trump out. This isn't what anyone with responsibility at the Pentagon would want.
Goodlucktoyou
4 wars lost in one country. Not bad trump.
Russia
Supporting IS and al Nusa
Regime change.
Iranwtfjapan
Syrians get their country back
yep Putin is high fiving Bashar and Irans Rouhani right about now, Russia now has effectively annex a large part of the middle east, Trump might get his tower in Moscow afterall.
lostrune2
Trump went against his Generals on the ground, even Gen. Mattis
Here's what their envoys said just about a week ago:
Brett McGurk: “It would be reckless if we were just to say, ‘Well, the physical caliphate is defeated, so we can just leave now. I think anyone who’s looked at a conflict like this would agree with that.”
Coalition spokesman Col. Sean Ryan: "ISIS had reached the end of days, they still have the capability for coordinated attacks, and the fight is not over.”
Gen. Mattis in September:** **" . . . a precipitous withdrawal could enable militants to make a comeback, as they did in Iraq before the Islamic State’s rise in 2014. Getting rid of the caliphate doesn’t mean you then blindly say, ‘Okay, we got rid of it,’ march out, and then wonder why the caliphate comes back.”
David Adesnik: "Trump himself said on the campaign trail that he may not have liked being in Iraq, but Obama ruined a lot by pulling out too early and not thinking about what would happen next. Here he is ignoring precisely that lesson."
Another big problem is that Trump did not even consult with the other coalition nations about it, so now those other coalition troops --who alongside US troops putting their lives at risk helping them in Syria-- are now scrambling to try to protect themselves as the US troops just leave them there.
They may think twice the next time the US asks them for help, when the US could just leave them without even consulting with them first.
bass4funk
Yes, for the most part in Washington.
No, it has everything to do with your outlook. Most Democrats and liberals consistently complained about the war and wanted a complete withdrawal and then when their majestic leader told them too, they never cared about the ramifications of the move, but since he ordered it even without a SOFA agreement the liberals supported the move, which we now know was a very disastrous decision, now Trump is in the same boat and the left are condemning it. You guys are really something else and the last people to call anyone a hypocrite.
Sneezy
You’re also opposed to legal immigration, as you’ve demonstrated with your support for the Muslim ban and your opposition to asylum seekers legally making an application.
Looking back in hindsight, I think it was a mistake, but various reasons and not what most liberals are led to believe. As for Putin, I don’t know where this laughable obsession comes from.
I don’t know why you and Spencer are so pro-Putin, either.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson is a racist, a bigot and a white nationalist. He said this week that any and all immigration makes America “dirty”, and is beloved by Neo-renaming, so is Trump, who thinks Nazis are “very fine people”.
RichardPearce
I love the people who believe, or espouse the belief, that the withdrawal of the only forces who have protected and cooperated with ISIS leaving (hopefully, Trump is prone to reversing himself more frequently than a forklift operator) is going to be a good thing for ISIS.
They remind me not only of how Trump became President, by why his replacement is likely to be as bad at acknowledging reality.
Miyam_Musashi
Indeed, Mr. President. About time U.S. forces stop having to do the dirty job all the time, be the world's policeman and sacrifice American lives in the process, while other "leaders" pontificate and fiddle around with such "threats" as climate change. When was the last time a world leader publicly thanked the American soldier and American people for their sacrifice, blood, sweat and cash?
This would be the first step and most direct policy to shake things up and impel Arab nations, the E.U. "army" of Macron, and the U.N. and its peacekeeping force to pick up the cudgels, put their money and lives where their interests and mouths are, and do something about radical Islamic terrorism, Russian expansionism - among other things, once and for all.
It takes a non-politician to have the guts to do this - despite the anticipated public outcry heralded by the left and its allies in the main stream media whose default view of Trump is "damn if he does, damn if he doesn't".
Malinois1
"So my question is, why are liberals so outraged about this? They hate war, they should be Rejoicing."
As usual, you miss the point. Most people aren't outraged about pulling out of Syria, Its why all of a sudden he is doing it! Given his past behavior toward Putin... You should be asking yourself the same question as well! If you are not, then you and folks like you are a big part of the problem. Period!
Serrano
"I want US soldiers out of there but it's anyone's guess how he will screw this up."
He can't possibly screw it up any worse than Obama.
"The only reason that Trump wants to pull out is because Putin told him to. "
Pffft. I agree with Rand Paul. Oh my...
Rand Paul backs Trump's decision to pull troops from Syria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cod0vnLxNAM
bass4funk
No, I’m opposed to “illegal” immigration, always have been and always will be.
Yes, I supported the Muslim band, but if that were so called racists then Indonesia, the largest Muslim country or Jorden would have been on that list as wel, so much for that argument.
As far as asylum seekers are concerned, I think we most definitely should scrutinize who comes into this country, but most of the so called asylum seekers are men, very suspicious. Upon further inspection, it would seem a large segment of these men are migrants workers, also add to the fact that we can’t just accept every single person that has a problem with the massive influx of illegals. The country can’t absorb so many people at once in a large portion of these people don’t even try to assimilate which compounds to the problem.
I’m no more Pro-Putin than you are Pro-China
Please show me any verifiable proof that states Carlson is a racist. Don’t through personal attacks, please provide hard evidence that he’s a card carrying white nationalist, no emotional platitudes please.
Liberals do this every single time, you disagree with us or you don’t tow the liberal line, you must be a racist. It’s the liberals safe space to accuse a person of racism when a policy is out of step with theirs.
I think Tucker brought up a lot of valid points that need to be seriously considered. When you allow people to enter your country, you want the best, you want people that can greatly contribute to your society, they should bring with them a certain set of skills whether it be in science or engineering or in medicine or in computer technology, something that can help the country prosper and enriching it. It overall helps the mobility of the society and its people. Allowing in thousands of people with the lack of education the lack of applicable skill sets, people that are poor and people that cannot contribute on a large scale to complete the necessary skill sets in white-collar jobs is a very serious problem and it impedes growth it under cuts safety. Look at what’s going on in Tijuana, Mexico the mayor called the elevation, the people from Central America or not helping to bring any type of prosperity or secure safety to that city, instead they have brought in more crime, trash, drugs and violence, now is the mayor a racist saying these things? He is neither American nor is he white. He has very serious and legitimate concerns and rightfully so, he doesn’t want to see a spike in crime and violence and he has a right to as mayor of the city, do you want the same thing in the US at least conservatives do and people that live along the borders do. So I fail to see how this is racist.
https://youtu.be/bobA_AK6AIU
He never said that. He said, there are “some” people. I get it, it came out strange. Trump is not the greatest orator, I get it, but that’s like saying, there are some good people in antifa.
Serrano
Anti-Trumpers are pissed about this, which is a sure sign Trump doing the right thing.
bones
more like “Comrade Putin, we have done our part, Syria is all yours “
Aly Rustom
right on the money.
exactly
I would not be surprised.
Concerned Citizen
Correction to my previous post:
Nevertheless President Trump is following up on his two stated positions: defeating ISIS and avoiding involvement in overseas conflict as much as possible. Well done.
M3M3M3
Very true. We shouldn't forget this.
Strangerland
My thoughts as to whether this is a good idea or not are...
I don't have any, because I truly don't know if this is a good time to pull out or not. I'd be curious to know what the people who actually do know what they are talking about think about the matter.
Serrano
Trump went against his Generals on the ground, even Gen. Mattis"
So, we're stuck in Syria for another decade, right? No, wait, Trump is president now, not W or Barack.
Serrano
This is interesting:
Tucker takes on Obama aide over Trump pulling troops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxqkfVF5rEg
2020hindsights
The only reason that Trump wants to pull out is because Putin told him to. Putin is keeping his troops in Syria, and yet he supports Trump getting out.
ISIS isn't defeated and what about US allies, the Kurds? Trump will just walk away? Remember ISIS pretty much started when the US pulled out of Iraq.
Trump = Putin's puppet.
Concerned Citizen
@Strangerland
Credit to you for choosing to look at the matter fairly rather than just criticize President Trump for the sake of it.
Bill Wright
The United States under President Trump’s Leadership and like that of the UK have come to realize we do not need 2B in the business of “reconstructing” other countries Governments, that responsibility belongs to the Citizens of They’re respective country. If they’re not happy with their Governments let them change them in whatever way THEY decide and not let another government decide for them.
zurcronium
Appeasing Turkey and Russia on this one. Once the US soldiers are out of Syria then
the Turks will attack the Kurds. Bush senior allowed Kurds to be massacred by Turks and also let Saddam so this the Republican playbook over and over again. Pick a side and then abandon them, Taliban for example and the Kurds many, many times. No one in the ME can trust the USA after decades of failure and deceit.
So the right wingers now are cheering for Trump who is not just leading from behind but is leading from his behind. He figures Putin will let him open his hotel in Russia once he is out of the WH. So if more Kurds are killed, what does he care? Bush Senior did not, RIP.
Incredible hypocrisy by the rightwing on this one, but that is SOP for the party of constant failure (Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and on and on). Obama kills OBL and Trump runs away in Syria. There you go.
Serrano
"Um, even the Republicans are against Trump's moves here."
Some Republicans. And they're wrong.
It is very funny to see all of the people arguing for more foreign intervention and pretending that having a few thousand U.S. troops sitting in the desert over there in a hostile environment where Assad, who is not our ally and doesn't like us, is right next door is a good idea. It's a bad idea. Obama should never have been arming the FSA ( Free Syrian Army ), he was giving weapons to groups that are essentially terrorists anyway, no wait, they're not terrorists, they're freedom fighters because we happen to align with them loosely, let's give them billions in all sorts of aid including anti-tank rockets, meanwhile Obama was saying oh well the Americans don't need a 30 round magazine for their guns, you don't need semi-automatic weapons, you can't be trusted with these things, but I'm going to give like literally everything under the sun, I'm gonna give a bunch of Stinger missiles to the FSA that we haven't even vetted.
People are now saying Putin has won. Who gives a flying at this point. We shouldn't be in the Middle East. Haven't we learned our lesson from Iraq? You want us to put more troops in Syria and eventually fight Russia directly or attack the Iranians? Trump's getting it from both sides now. Why are we in Syria? It's not an allied country. We have bases all over the Middle East, you know how much money it costs to upkeep all this stuff? The Democrats are like, we need to shrink the military, but we can't actually find any situation around the world in which we're willing to close a base, because then Putins wins, lol.
No, Trump is right.
Strangerland
How is pointing out that Trump is doing this in panic due to his rapidly collapsing presidency, an about face?
Deadforgood
@rawbeer
Trump's war legacy might end up being, "Never knew when to pull out until it was too late" when his time is up.
M3M3M3
This might be true in Iraq where they were given permission to enter the country by the Iraqi government, but this was not the case in Syria. This is what made their presence in Syria illegal under international law. The street gangs in Chicago are also pretty evil. Does that provide justification for Russian or Chinese troops to unilaterally enter the US without permission in order to defeat them to free the locals?
wtfjapan
he's a pretty good promise-keeper.
even when his military and advisers who have decades of experience tell him otherwise, he doesnt listen just does shite becuase he thinks he knows best. promise-keeper or not thats just plain stuipidity, no wonder his face is shown when your search stupid on the net.
Blacklabel
My phone won’t even type “syria” it autocorrects to Libya. That’s how bad it is. Bet last week Syria was fine to type.
Serrano
"A U.S. withdrawal could open Trump up to criticism if Islamic State reemerged."
Could the world's biggest army, the Chinese People's Liberation Army, help out here?
Crazy: "Every decision Trump makes Russia is a winner."
Trump could have done the opposite and announced an increase in troops in Syria and Crazy still would have had a problem with it. LOL.
Wallace Fred
(Sigh)
https://www.globalresearch.ca/america-created-al-qaeda-and-the-isis-terror-group/5402881
u_s__reamer
Pulling out the troops is an idea Trump pulled out from his rear end where all his "best stuff" originates. Still, there might be method in his madness, a calculation that a Christmas distraction of this magnitude can ensure that the year ends with a bang bringing him some seasonal peace on earth and respite before it all inevitably hits the fan in the New Year.
Raw Beer
Yeah, the US (and its allies) has long been in the business of destroying countries, using lies as excuses.
The US never had any legitimate reason to be is Syria. I'm glad they are planning to leave.
Yeah, especially considering the Syrian people are probably happier with their leader than the citizens of most (all?) western countries are.
Serrano
Here's a good question -
Why have Democrats done an about face on pulling US troops out of the Middle East?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AX85E9Knrc
sensei258
I'm glad that American forces are going home, but you know that ISIS will waltz right back in after they're gone
bass4funk
I did and I also was very critical on Obama withdrawing too early.
So my question is, why are liberals so outraged about this? They hate war, they should be Rejoicing.
I’m a conservative, I’m not a right winger for the record. I never left war, but I do believe in fighting and using the necessary means of force or whatever can be used politically or militarily to dispose of radical Islamist.
Funny, the previous administration thought it was a good idea to oust Assad, what happened with that and why did they go in and ask a little more if they never agreed upon it?
Concerned Citizen
@M3M3M3
ISIS's atrocities in Syria and other countries in the region were so horrendous that virtually the whole world was clamoring for intervention. I don't think most of the world nor the locals care if intervening forces were invited or not.
Insane Wayne
But DEADWOOD, USA MUST be doing good because people are COMPLAINING that USA is LEAVING !!
Concerned Citizen
The defeat of ISIS is something to be truly celebrated. They were evil. That was an instance where the U.S. engaging in war was justified.
God bless the troops who fought to free the locals. Those that died there should be respectfully remembered and those who returned should be generously supported, especially the injured and maimed.
Insane Wayne
Excellent news ! Let the French or British or even the Canadians get involved over there. The USA doesn't have to do ALL the good in the world. Other countries can help too !!
bass4funk
Wait a minute....I thought you guys hated wars and wanted our troops to leave, liberals always confuse me.
bass4funk
You know exactly what I mean when you use the term right winger, meaning someone who is of the radical neocon conservatism, which is something I am not.
I am most definitely pro-gun and I am very anti-illegal immigration and I only believe in Warren if it is necessary and it does help our national interest or our allies as a “last resort.”
I’ve seen Wars in been in one, though not in uniform.
I never said, I wasn’t.
Besides Hillary and Lieberman who else?
I’m talking about in over the last 30 years? Liberals don’t like war, over the last 30 years every liberal and Democratic have complained extensively about it and begged for withdrawals.