Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman says US still wants to stop ISIS in Syria despite troop withdrawal
5 years, 2 months ago

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman says US still wants to stop ISIS in Syria despite troop withdrawal

Salon  

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC News on Sunday that although President Donald Trump is withdrawing US troops from Syria, "the objective will remain the same: the enduring defeat of ISIS." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that he believed Trump's policy would be "a complete and utter national security disaster in the making, and I hope President Trump will adjust his thinking." Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a member of the House Republican leadership and the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, argued that "President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria is having sickening and predictable consequences... Congress must and will act to limit the catastrophic impact of this decision." Although Milley declined to comment on the recent testimony provided by Lt. Col Alexander Vindman, he said that he supported America's military aid to Ukraine, a position that implicitly criticized Trump's decision to withhold that aid until Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky gave him dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden.

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History of this topic

'This is not our fight': Trump says US should 'stay out of Syria' as Assad regime struggles to survive
Top News
1 month ago

'This is not our fight': Trump says US should 'stay out of Syria' as Assad regime struggles to survive

Firstpost  

US President-elect Donald Trump urged Washington to stay out of the ongoing crisis in Syria. Calling the country a ‘mess’ he pointed out that it is not America’s fight US President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States should not get involved in the ongoing conflict in Syria. Trump’s remarks came shortly after National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan …

Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria
Top News
1 month ago

Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria

Deccan Chronicle  

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. military should stay out of the escalating conflict in Syria as a shock opposition offensive closes in on the capital, declaring in a social media post, "THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.”With world leaders watching the rapid rebel advance against Syria's Russian- and Iranian-backed president, Bashar Assad, President Joe Biden's national security adviser …

Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain
1 month ago

Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. military should stay out of the fast-escalating conflict in Syria, where a dramatic rebel offensive reached the capital and threatened the rule of Syria’s Russian- and Iranian-allied president. Sullivan said the U.S. would keep acting as necessary to keep the Islamic State — a violently anti-Western extremist group not known …

Iraq's PM urges Trump to 'work towards ending' crisis in the Middle East
2 months ago

Iraq's PM urges Trump to 'work towards ending' crisis in the Middle East

Firstpost  

In the phone call, the Iraqi premier pointed to Trump’s ‘campaign statements and promises to work towards ending wars in the region’, a statement from Sudani’s office said late Friday Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani expressed hopes during a phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump that he would keep his “promises to work towards ending wars” in the …

Iraqi PM urges Trump to 'work towards ending' Mideast wars
2 months ago

Iraqi PM urges Trump to 'work towards ending' Mideast wars

New Indian Express  

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani expressed hopes during a phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump that he would keep his "promises to work towards ending wars" in the Middle East. In the phone call, the Iraqi premier pointed to Trump's "campaign statements and promises to work towards ending wars in the region", a statement from Sudani's office said …

Syria condemns US general’s visit to Kurdish-held northeast
1 year, 10 months ago

Syria condemns US general’s visit to Kurdish-held northeast

Al Jazeera  

Foreign ministry condemns surprise visit by Mark Milley, dubbing it ‘illegal,’ according to state media reports. Syria’s foreign ministry has condemned a surprise visit by the United States’ top military officer to an army base in the Kurdish-held northeast, dubbing it “illegal”, state media reported. In his snap visit on Saturday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark …

Gen. Mark Milley 'this close' to quitting over Trump demand for troops to shoot protesters: book
2 years, 8 months ago

Gen. Mark Milley 'this close' to quitting over Trump demand for troops to shoot protesters: book

Raw Story  

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nearly quit on the spot over former President Donald Trump's order to use military troops to violently crack down on protests over the police murder of George Floyd. Former defense secretary Mark Esper, in his new book A Sacred Oath, revealed Trump's request to Milley for "10,000 troops" to …

Mark Milley: Top US general pushes back at national security adviser’s troop withdrawal announcement Top US general pushes back at national security adviser’s troop withdrawal announcement
4 years, 2 months ago

Mark Milley: Top US general pushes back at national security adviser’s troop withdrawal announcement Top US general pushes back at national security adviser’s troop withdrawal announcement

CNN  

CNN — America’s most senior general publicly pushed back Sunday at an announcement by President Donald Trump’s national security adviser that the US will aggressively reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan by the end of the year irrespective of conditions on the ground. Hours after O’Brien’s comments last Wednesday, Trump tweeted that “we should have the” remaining 4,500 US …

Iran Soleimani killing: Pentagon chief Mark Milley denies plans of US military troops leaving Iraq, says letter sent by 'mistake'
5 years ago

Iran Soleimani killing: Pentagon chief Mark Milley denies plans of US military troops leaving Iraq, says letter sent by 'mistake'

Firstpost  

The latest developments came as a sea of black-clad mourners paid homage on Monday in Tehran to Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force killed Friday in a US drone strike in Baghdad. Baghdad: The US military on Monday told the Iraqi government that American troops were preparing to pull out of the country but a top …

US has no plans to pull military from Iraq after confusion over leaked letter
5 years ago

US has no plans to pull military from Iraq after confusion over leaked letter

ABC  

The United States has no plans to pull out militarily from Iraq, Defence Secretary Mark Esper told Pentagon reporters on Monday, following reports of a US military letter about a withdrawal. Key points: US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said he didn't know where the letter came from US top army General Mark Milley said it was a poorly worded draft …

American troops to remain in Syria as long as Islamic State has presence in region, says US military official Mark Milley
5 years, 1 month ago

American troops to remain in Syria as long as Islamic State has presence in region, says US military official Mark Milley

Firstpost  

‘There will be less than 1,000, American troops for sure’, general Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ‘Probably in the 500ish frame, maybe six’ Washington: US troop levels in northern Syria will probably stabilize around 500, a top American military leader said on Sunday, weeks after president Donald Trump had announced a complete withdrawal. “There will be …

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reportedly killed in Syria by U.S. forces
5 years, 2 months ago

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reportedly killed in Syria by U.S. forces

The Hindu  

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a U.S. military operation in Syria, sources in Syria, Iraq and Iran said on Sunday, as U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to make a “major statement” at the White House. Many critics of Mr. Trump's Syria pullout have expressed worries that it would lead the Islamic State …

Islamic State leader Baghdadi reportedly killed in Syria by US forces
5 years, 2 months ago

Islamic State leader Baghdadi reportedly killed in Syria by US forces

Live Mint  

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was believed to have been killed in a U.S. military operation in Syria, sources in Syria, Iraq and Iran said on Sunday, as U.S. President Donald Trump prepared to make a "major statement" at the White House. Many critics of Trump's Syria pullout have expressed worries that it would lead the Islamic State militancy …

Will ISIL outlive its leader?
5 years, 2 months ago

Will ISIL outlive its leader?

Al Jazeera  

Donald Trump says Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up during raid by US Special Forces in Syria’s Idlib. The US President says Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – the leader of one of the most feared armed groups, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – has been killed in northwest Syria. Under his watch, ISIL became one of the most brutal …

Trump dismisses Syria concerns; Dems walk out of WH meeting
5 years, 2 months ago

Trump dismisses Syria concerns; Dems walk out of WH meeting

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Washing his hands of Syria, President Donald Trump declared Wednesday the U.S. has no stake in defending the Kurdish fighters who died by the thousands as America’s partners against IS extremists. White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham called Pelosi’s action “baffling but not surprising.” She said the speaker “had no intention of listening or contributing to an important meeting …

Trump’s Syria withdrawal decision sparks scramble to safely remove US troops
5 years, 2 months ago

Trump’s Syria withdrawal decision sparks scramble to safely remove US troops

CNN  

Washington CNN — President Donald Trump’s order to the Pentagon this weekend to withdraw nearly all of the 1,000 US troops from Syria has sparked an urgent effort at the highest levels of the Pentagon to ensure they can be brought out safely. An undisclosed number of US security forces will also go into Syria to help with security as …

Pentagon calls on Turks to halt "impulsive" Syria assault and says U.S. is "not abandoning" Kurds
5 years, 2 months ago

Pentagon calls on Turks to halt "impulsive" Syria assault and says U.S. is "not abandoning" Kurds

CBS News  

An "impulsive" decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to invade northern Syria will further destabilize a region already caught up in civil war, and it puts America's Syrian Kurdish partners "in harm's way," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. Washington is "greatly disappointed" by the Turkish incursion, Esper said at a Pentagon news conference, adding that the invasion has …

Former Trump Envoy: Syria Withdrawal Is 'Haphazard' And 'Almost Unprecedented'
5 years, 3 months ago

Former Trump Envoy: Syria Withdrawal Is 'Haphazard' And 'Almost Unprecedented'

NPR  

Former Trump Envoy: Syria Withdrawal Is 'Haphazard' And 'Almost Unprecedented' Enlarge this image toggle caption Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty Images As President Trump defends his decision to pull away some U.S. troops from Syria's border with Turkey, the president's former envoy for the fight against the so-called Islamic State is raising alarms about how potentially destabilizing the move can …

Trump’s Syria move ‘delivers a blow to US credibility worldwide’
5 years, 3 months ago

Trump’s Syria move ‘delivers a blow to US credibility worldwide’

Al Jazeera  

Analysts say the US president’s ‘erratic’ decisions abroad risks needed support from his political allies at home. Washington, DC – US President Donald Trump‘s announcement on Sunday that the United States was withdrawing its troops from northeast Syria, clearing the way for military action by Turkey against the Kurds, has raised new concerns in Washington, DC, with analysts raising alarm …

‘Disaster’, ‘a betrayal’: Republicans slam Trump’s Syria decision
5 years, 3 months ago

‘Disaster’, ‘a betrayal’: Republicans slam Trump’s Syria decision

Al Jazeera  

US President Donald Trump‘s decision to withdraw troops from northeast Syria before a Turkish military campaign was slammed by Democrats, as well as some of his strongest Republican defenders on Monday. “The president’s decision to withdraw US forces from northern Syria is a deeply disturbing development that betrays our Kurdish allies who have been instrumental partners in our mission to …

Trump claims his Syria strategy hasn’t changed
5 years, 9 months ago

Trump claims his Syria strategy hasn’t changed

CNN  

CNN — President Donald Trump on Wednesday disputed the characterization that he had changed his strategy in Syria by leaving some US troops there for a period, despite previously announcing that all US troops would be withdrawn. Trump pulled out a sheet of paper Wednesday to demonstrate the success against ISIS, showing two maps of the terror group’s territorial control …

Donald Trump to leave 200 troops in Syria as "peacekeeping group", says White House as US withdraws force from war-torn country
5 years, 10 months ago

Donald Trump to leave 200 troops in Syria as "peacekeeping group", says White House as US withdraws force from war-torn country

Firstpost  

“A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement after the call between the two leaders Washington: The Trump administration will leave 200 US troops in Syria to act as a “small peacekeeping group”, the White House has announced following President Donald Trump’s …

ISIS: Top US general disagrees with Trump over Syria troop pullout
5 years, 10 months ago

ISIS: Top US general disagrees with Trump over Syria troop pullout

CNN  

Muscat, Oman CNN — The US commander who has been leading the war against ISIS told CNN Friday that he disagreed with Donald Trump’s decision in December to pull troops out of Syria and warned that the terror group was far from defeated, in a stark difference of opinion with the President. “When I say, ‘we have defeated them,’ I …

Top US general says defeat in Syria wouldn’t ‘mean the end’ for ISIS
5 years, 10 months ago

Top US general says defeat in Syria wouldn’t ‘mean the end’ for ISIS

CNN  

Cairo CNN — As the assault to retake ISIS’s last enclave of territory in Syria continues, the top US general overseeing the fight against the terror group warned Monday that if the terror group loses that fight it “doesn’t mean the end of the organization.” “Liberation of the terrain that ISIS holds is important, it’s an important objective for us …

Trump touts gains against ISIS, glosses over Syria withdrawal
5 years, 11 months ago

Trump touts gains against ISIS, glosses over Syria withdrawal

CNN  

CNN — President Donald Trump praised the US and its allies for progress made in the fight against ISIS in a speech that failed to discuss the diplomatic and policy implications of his sudden decision to pull US troops from Syria. It should be formally announced sometime probably next week that we will have 100% of the caliphate,” he said …

US commander: IS hold in Syria, Iraq on verge of collapse
5 years, 11 months ago

US commander: IS hold in Syria, Iraq on verge of collapse

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is expected to declare near-total triumph over the Islamic State group in Syria in his State of the Union address Tuesday, but U.S. defense officials are increasingly fearful that the militants are simply biding their time until the Americans leave the battlefield as planned. The Islamic State group “remains a potent force of battle-hardened and …

Top US general Joseph Votel says Trump did not consult him on Syria announcement
5 years, 11 months ago

Top US general Joseph Votel says Trump did not consult him on Syria announcement

CNN  

Washington CNN — The commander of US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said Tuesday he “was not consulted” prior to President Donald Trump’s December announcement that the US would withdraw its troops from Syria. And despite Trump’s claims that ISIS has been defeated, Gen. Joseph Votel said the fight against the terror group is “not …

Pentagon says ISIS likely to retake territory and claim ‘victory’ after US Syria withdrawal
5 years, 11 months ago

Pentagon says ISIS likely to retake territory and claim ‘victory’ after US Syria withdrawal

CNN  

Washington CNN — ISIS will claim victory over the US and is likely to regain territory as a result of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria, according to a new report released Monday by the Pentagon’s Inspector General. “ISIS may conduct opportunistic attacks on US personnel as they withdraw but will leverage the event as a ‘victory’ in …

Trump says he would send US troops back to Syria should ISIS regain strength
5 years, 11 months ago

Trump says he would send US troops back to Syria should ISIS regain strength

CNN  

Washington CNN — President Donald Trump acknowledged the possibility that ISIS and other terror groups could regain their strength in Syria and Afghanistan if he withdraws or reduces troops in those countries and noted that he would send US forces back if they did. Trump, who announced in December that he was ordering staff to execute a “full” and “rapid” …

Brett McGurk says ‘ISIS is not defeated’ days after Syrian attack kills four Americans
5 years, 11 months ago

Brett McGurk says ‘ISIS is not defeated’ days after Syrian attack kills four Americans

CNN  

Washington CNN — The former US envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition said Monday that “ISIS is not defeated” nearly a month after President Donald Trump announced he was withdrawing troops from Syria on the premise that the US had defeated the terrorist group. “I do not think there would be a single expert that would walk in the Oval Office …

US has ‘no plan for Syria’ after pullout: Ex-envoy Brett McGurk
5 years, 11 months ago

US has ‘no plan for Syria’ after pullout: Ex-envoy Brett McGurk

Al Jazeera  

Bratt McGurk, who quit over Trump’s decision to withdraw, says lack of strategy in Syria increases risk to US forces. The United States has no plan for Syria as it proceeds with President Donald Trump‘s order to pull troops out of the country, Washington’s former anti-ISIL envoy, who quit in protest against the withdrawal, said. Brett McGurk, who was the …

Former US envoy to anti-ISIS coalition says Trump has given ‘new life’ to terror group
5 years, 11 months ago

Former US envoy to anti-ISIS coalition says Trump has given ‘new life’ to terror group

CNN  

Washington CNN — The former US envoy for the anti-ISIS coalition, who resigned last month because of the President’s abrupt decision to pull US forces out of Syria, has penned an op-ed arguing that Donald Trump has given the terrorist group “new life.” “The irony is that defeating the Islamic State is what the president said from the beginning was …

ISIS is far from being defeated as a fighting force or ideology
6 years ago

ISIS is far from being defeated as a fighting force or ideology

CNN  

CNN — On December 19, President Trump declared: “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.” US troops there, he said in a video the same day, are “all coming back, and they’re coming back now.” On January 7, the President revised “now” to “leaving at a proper pace while at the …

Bolton scrambles to reassure allies reeling from Trump’s Syria decision
6 years ago

Bolton scrambles to reassure allies reeling from Trump’s Syria decision

CNN  

Washington CNN — US officials are working to contain the fallout from President Donald Trump’s shock announcement of a Syria troop withdrawal, flatly contradicting the President as they do so and raising questions about whether a coherent strategy exists at all. Trump continues to qualify his statements on the US military presence in Syria, swinging from his ringing, conditions-free declaration …

Bolton appears to contradict Trump, says US troop withdrawal in Syria hinges on safety of Kurdish allies
6 years ago

Bolton appears to contradict Trump, says US troop withdrawal in Syria hinges on safety of Kurdish allies

CNN  

CNN — The United States will pull out of Syria only with assurances Turkey will not attack Kurdish allies there, national security adviser John Bolton told journalists on Sunday, according to reports. Bolton also said Trump “wants the ISIS caliphate destroyed,” a reference to Islamic State militants in Syria who have been the focus of US assaults, according to Reuters. …

Trump Adviser Bolton Says U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Is Conditional On Defeat Of ISIS
6 years ago

Trump Adviser Bolton Says U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Is Conditional On Defeat Of ISIS

NPR  

Trump Adviser Bolton Says U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Is Conditional On Defeat Of ISIS Enlarge this image toggle caption Oded Balilty/AP Oded Balilty/AP With the White House facing criticism over President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, National Security Adviser John Bolton on Sunday said the drawdown will be conditioned on the defeat of the Islamic State and …

John Bolton: US to leave Syria once ISIL beaten, Kurds safe
6 years ago

John Bolton: US to leave Syria once ISIL beaten, Kurds safe

Al Jazeera  

Trump’s national security adviser says US withdrawal from Syria is conditioned on ISIL defeat, safety of Kurdish allies. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said on Sunday the conditions for the US military withdrawal from northeastern Syria are finishing off the armed group ISIL and Turkey assuring the safety of Kurdish troops allied with the United States. Ahead of a …

Donald Trump calls Syria 'sand and death'; timeline of US' withdrawal from Damascus remains unclear
6 years ago

Donald Trump calls Syria 'sand and death'; timeline of US' withdrawal from Damascus remains unclear

Firstpost  

On when US forces would leave Syria, Trump said that he does not want to be in Syria “forever.” But after saying troops would come home right away, and that the Islamic State group was defeated, he didn’t give any specific timetable. Washington: US president Donald Trump on Wednesday offered a rather stark take on the situation in war-wracked Syria, …

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