US mulls 'full withdrawal' from Syria after SDF defeat: Report
Kurdish authorities have warned of a major ISIS resurgence since the start of Damascus’s assault against the SDF in the north
The US is considering a “complete withdrawal” from Syria, officials told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on 22 January, coinciding with Damascus’s assault against Kurdish forces in the country’s north.
“The head-spinning events of the last week have led the Pentagon to question the viability of the American military’s mission in Syria after the SDF’s defeat,” the US officials went on to say.
“If the SDF fully disbands, the US officials see no reason for the American military to stay in Syria. One factor is the difficulties posed by working with [Syrian President] Sharaa’s army. The force is riddled with jihadist sympathizers, including soldiers with ties to Al-Qaeda and ISIS and others who have been involved in alleged war crimes against the Kurds and Druze,” the sources added.
Around 1,000 US forces are scattered in bases across northern Syria. Last year, the US army began reducing its presence in the country, withdrawing from five out of eight major bases.
During his first term, US President Donald Trump admitted that US forces were in Syria for the oil.
Since the SDF was formed by the US military in 2015 – under the pretext of fighting ISIS – the Kurdish militia has helped Washington oversee its occupation of Syrian oil fields, while reaping benefits at the same time.
Several months after the formation of ex-Al-Qaeda chief and self-appointed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s government, the US lifted brutal years-long sanctions on Syria and hailed its new ally in Damascus as a new partner in the fight against extremists.
Yet the new Syrian army is made up of numerous extremist factions responsible for severe war crimes against Kurds, Alawites, and other minorities. Trump has hailed Sharaa – the former deputy to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – as a “tough guy” with a “strong past” who is “doing a great job.”
Two US soldiers were killed in Syria last month during a joint mission between Syrian and US forces. The attacker turned out to be a member of Damascus’s security forces, who authorities claimed was due to be fired over “extremist views.”
Officials cited by WSJ on Thursday said “Sharaa’s forces already have come dangerously close to US troops during the [new] operation against the Kurds.”
“US forces shot down at least one Syrian government drone near a facility where American troops are stationed. In that same 24-hour period, Sharaa’s forces attacked the SDF barracks at the base,” the sources went on to say.
Over the past week, Syrian troops have seized the majority of north and east Syria, practically ending around a decade of US-backed Kurdish autonomy in that part of the country.
Thousands of ISIS prisoners are now on the loose as a result of Damascus’s assault.
Government forces released the extremists from Al-Hawl Camp just days ago. The prison camp had been run by the SDF prior to Damascus’s attack – which, according to a Kurdish official cited by Reuters, was “greenlit” by Washington.
On 21 January, US CENTCOM said it launched a mission to transfer ISIS prisoners out of Syria to “secure” facilities in Iraq.
CENTCOM said it successfully transferred 150 prisoners, and that 7,000 more “could be transferred” at an unspecified time.
Since the government assault on the north started earlier this month, Kurdish authorities have been warning that attacks on prisons pose the threat of triggering a major ISIS resurgence.
New videos surfacing online show extremist government forces committing brutal war crimes during the assault on the north.