Pentagon: Up to 1,000 U.S. Troops to Withdraw from Northern Syria

Washington (AFP) – The Pentagon said Sunday President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria — almost the entire ground force in war-torn country — amid an intensifying Turkish assault on Kurdish forces.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the move came after the US learned that Turkey was pressing further into Syria than had been expected.

And the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are seeking a deal with the Syrian regime and Russia to counter-attack against the Turks in the north, Esper added.

“We find ourselves as we have American forces likely caught between two opposing advancing armies and it’s a very untenable situation,” Esper told CBS’s Face the Nation.

“So I spoke with the president last night after discussions with the rest of the national security team and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of forces from northern Syria.”

GOP triggers marathon Senate fight to expose Dems’ opposition to Trump-backed voter ID bill

Chief Justice Roberts warns against personal attacks on judges as ‘dangerous’ after Trump’s court tirade

Irish President Roasted for ‘Demoralising’ St. Patrick’s Day Message That Replaces Christ with Wokeness

Trump Warns of Permanent Consequences for Every Lawmaker Who Votes Against the SAVE America Act

NYC $30 minimum wage proposal pushed by Mamdani would ‘obliterate’ certain industries: expert warns

Trump bids goodbye to intel official who resigned over Iran: ‘Good thing that he’s out’

The Stunning Story of How Irish Christianity Saved the World

Emerging Intel on Iran’s New Leader Is Hilarious, Painful, and May Well Be Deathly, Too – Apparently He’s Not a Smart Man

NYC rooftop fire casts shadow on St Patrick’s Day Parade

New names emerge in Jack Smith’s wide-ranging bid for GOP lawmakers’ phone records, unearthed emails show

Video shows panicked Spring Break crowds fleeing beach hotspot after reports of five weekend shootings

Top counterterrorism official resigns in protest of US war against Iran

German Law Student Sues for $100K Over Spicy NYC Taco – And That Was Just His Warm-Up Lawsuit

IDF claims it killed top Iranian official Ali Larijani and Basij commander in latest strikes

Trump admin asks Spanberger, Virginia officials not release illegal charged with groping high school girls

Esper said he was unable to provide a timeline because of the rapidly changing situation on the ground, but added that the withdrawal would be carried out in a “very safe, deliberate manner.”

“Look it’s a very terrible situation over there. A situation caused by the Turks… Despite our opposition they decided to make this incursion into Syria,” Esper told CBS.

“And at this point in time in the last 24 hours we learned that they likely intend to expand their attack further south than originally planned and to the west

“We also have learned in the last 24 hours that the… SDF are looking to cut a deal, if you will, with the Syrians and the Russians to counter-attack against the Turks in the north.”

– ‘Immediate defensive action’ –

Asked if troops would be leaving the country altogether, Esper clarified that the withdrawal was just from northern Syria, “which is where most of our forces are.”