Pentagon prepares plan to withdraw US troops from Syria after Trump's announcement

The Pentagon is developing a plan for the complete withdrawal of US troops from Syria following US President Donald Trump's recent interest in the issue. According to officials, a decision may be made in the coming months - within 30, 60 or 90 days. This was reported by two officials from the US Department of Defense to NBC News, UNN reports.

Details

Trump's new national security adviser, Mike Waltz, spent a day at the headquarters of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, Florida, on January 31, where he met with senior U.S. military officials and received briefings on the situation in the Middle East, Defense Department officials said.

A White House spokesperson said that the issue of a possible reduction in U.S. forces in Syria was not a topic of discussion or the purpose of Waltz's visit.

For National Security Advisor Waltz, it is useful to visit CENTCOM to get a full picture of the region,

He also noted that on February 4, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House, and next week King Abdullah of Jordan is expected to visit.

A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment.

Earlier, during a media event in the Oval Office, a journalist asked Trump about reports that he had allegedly informed the Israeli government of plans to withdraw US troops from Syria.

I don't know who said it. I mean, I don't know who said it, but we will make a decision on it. We are not involved, we are not involved in Syria... Syria is its own chaos. There is enough chaos there without us. They don't need us to be involved in everything,

At the end of 2019, Trump ordered then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria.

Mattis opposed the plan and eventually resigned in protest.

Trump withdrew most of the US troops, but later brought them back. The US military presence in Syria has been maintained ever since.

Syrian leader Sharaa appointed president for a transitional period29.01.25, 21:02 • 25929 views

In December, the Pentagon reported that about 2,000 troops were deployed in Syria, more than double the official number of 900 troops that had been maintained in recent years.

At the time, the Pentagon spokesman explained that the additional 1,100 troops were “temporary rotational forces” with a 30- to 90-day stay, while 900 were “core troops” who would be deployed for about a year.

What is known about the US mission in Syria?

The United States is helping to contain the Islamic State and supporting local allies, including the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are preventing the resurgence of terrorist cells.

Last week, the US Central Command launched a targeted strike against the leader of al-Qaeda affiliate Huras al-Din. The Pentagon warns that the withdrawal of U.S. troops could leave the SDF without support, threatening the safety of more than 50,000 people in prisons and camps, including 9,000 ISIS fighters. Without US assistance, the SDF could focus on offensive operations, leaving the camps unguarded.

In December, the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group overthrew Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammad al-Julani), became the de facto leader of Syria and held the first official talks with the Biden administration in 10 years.

He promised a political transition and elections that could take up to four years.

Recall

EU officials plan to contact Hayat Tahrir al-Sham to discuss closing Russian military bases in Syria.

At the same time, Russia is trying to reach an agreement with the new leadership of the country on the preservation of two of its important military bases, and therefore wants to help Syria in its reconstruction.