Spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department Jonathan Hoffman explained why it was decided that U.S. troops would leave northeast Syria ahead of a Turkish offensive in the area.
"Unfortunately, Turkey has chosen to act unilaterally. As a result we have moved the U.S. forces in northern Syria out of the path of potential Turkish incursion to ensure their safety. We have made no changes to our force presence in Syria at this time," Reuters cited the spokesman as saying.
He added that despite continued misreporting to the contrary, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley were consulted over the last several days by President Donald Trump regarding the situation and efforts to protect U.S. forces in northern Syria in the face of military action by Turkey.
