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

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 over” and warned ISIS could regroup after US troops leave. In December, Trump tweeted, “We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” later releasing a video where he said US troops are “all coming back, and they’re coming back now.” That decision prompted the resignations of Secretary of Defense James Mattis and the Special Presidential Envoy to the Counter-ISIS campaign Brett McGurk. Asked how the US would maintain such pressure after withdrawing the 2,000-plus troops currently in Syria, Votel said “that is an aspect of the ongoing planning that we are pursuing right now.” “I won’t speculate publicly here about things we might do but there are certainly different ways we can do this, working with partners, working with our own capabilities to continue to keep pressure on this network which I think is absolutely vital,” he added. Asked about a recent CNN report detailing how US supplied military equipment provided to Saudi Arabia and the UAE was winding up in the hands of local militias in Yemen, Votel said, “We have not authorized Saudi Arabia or the Emirates to re-transfer any of this equipment to other parties on the ground in Yemen.” “I think we have to look more closely at the allegations in this particular situation to find out what happened,” he added.