US President Donald Trump is dramatically scaling back US goals in Syria as he pushes for a quick military withdrawal, Associated Press reported with reference to Trump administration officials.
According to the sources, Trump has given no formal order to pull out the 2000 US troops currently in Syria, nor offered a public timetable, other than to say the United States will pull out just as soon as the last remaining ISIS fighters can be vanquished.
But Trump has also signaled to his advisers that ideally, he wants all troops out within six months, according to three US officials.
The agency said that in his haste to withdraw from Syria, Trump stands alone. The Pentagon, the State Department and CIA are all deeply concerned about the potential ramifications.
Head of the Department of Political Science of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Gevorg Mirzayan, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, explained that Tramp's statement is a fairly simple and pragmatic way to fix a loss.
"The US is losing the Syrian campaign, they do not have the prospect of winning there. It requires too many resources, too many forces oppose the US presence there. Moreover, American soldiers have often died there during partisan operations lately. Therefore, Trump says about his intention to withdraw - thus contradicting his special US envoy for the global coalition against ISIS, who just a few minutes before Trump's speech reported that the US goal in Syria is the fight against ISIS, and this mission isn’t over and they are going to complete that mission," the expert noted.
According to him, Syria for Trump is the front of the struggle with Iran, if he loses there, he will simply leave for more advantageous fronts, for example, Yemen or Lebanon. "Another important point is that the confrontation in Syria has greatly aggravated the US-Turkey relations, so Trump kills several birds with one shot, throwing off a too-expensive campaign and one of the factors of aggravation of relations with the Turks. This is a very pragmatic step," the head of the Department of Political Science of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation said.
The expert noted that while Trump only expressed his position, and it is not known when it will be implemented. "If he said that the withdrawal of troops from Syria is starting today, and will be completed in three weeks, it could be understood as a formal decision. But Trump is very multi-factorial, he expressed his readiness to withdraw troops, and now he can sell this readiness to someone, for example, the Saudis, thus hinting that if they pay him, then he may stay there. Trump is a businessman, he is playing subtly on the Syrian direction," Gevorg Mirzayan concluded.
The director of the Institute of Political Studies Sergei Markov, in turn, Trump strives to match the mood of his constituents. "Trump voters want the American guys to go back," he said.
In addition, Trump seeks to increase his support through the announcement of a victory over ISIS. "The fight against this unconditional evil is in the interests of all mankind, including the US, and Trump now says that the United States defeated ISIS, meaning that American troops achieved this success precisely under his leadership," Sergei Markov explained.
"I think we can trust him in his desire to withdraw American troops from Syria, but the Pentagon, the CIA and the Saudi princes are against it, therefore, Trump may not be able to complete the US operation. I recall that he repeatedly had to retreat under internal pressure," the director of the Institute of Political Studies concluded.
