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Turkish journalist, blogger and media expert. Writes regular columns for The Arab Weekly and contributes to Süddeutsche Zeitung, El Pais and the Guardian. An European Press Prize Laureate for 'excellence in journalism' in 2014, Baydar was awarded the prestigious 'Journalistenpreis' in Germany by Südosteuropa Foundation in February 2018.
Trump's Ultimatum To The Pentagon: You Have Six Months To Withdraw From Syria
Withdrawal or not. That's the question concerning the presence of some 2.000 American troops in northern Syria, which has been causing constant confusion for weeks.
It is well known by now that the US Administration has been infected by what many observers call 'anarchy' or 'chaos', especially on foreign policy issues. Trump has been, to say the least, flip-floppy about his Syrian policy, which has kept State Department and Pentagon in deep discord with the White House.
Now, according to this inside story by the CNN, the rift has come to the surface in full. Following up on Trump's latest ambiguous statements in favour of a withdrawal, his team of advisors 'strongly recommended' that it would be a major mistake, and would have severe consequences. The report indicates that the meeting at the Oval Office was 'very tense', if not marked by an open row.
Military officials have presented an almost unanimous view that withdrawing US troops from Syria now would be a mistake—a stance that clashes with Trump's stated opinion that "it's time" to come home. Top commanders expressed their sentiments in public on Tuesday, despite Trump's remarks. During the meeting with his national security council at the White House, Trump was told by top advisers such as Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that leaving Syria now would provide an opening for Russia, Turkey and Iran to advance their own interests in the country, which run counter to the United States'.
Trump asked Secretary of Defence, Jim Mattis, why the battle against ISIS was dragging on for so long and Mattis said that the Turkish incursion into Syria was the main stumbling block.
The President responded US troops need to finish their mission against ISIS in Syria within six months, a timeline military officials – including Defense Secretary James Mattis – warned would be too short. Trump responded by telling his team to just get it done.
It seems that the tension in Washington, D.C. is there to stay.
