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.”

Nashville Airport Authority Votes Unanimously to Change Name to Honor Dolly Parton

Watch: Convention Crowd Symbolically Anoints JD Vance for 2028 with Chant

Inside Trump’s intimate meeting with nation’s bravest soldiers during whirlwind Texas trip

California woman chased, fatally shot by illegal immigrant DoorDash driver who stalked her for months: DHS

AOC, Mamdani interaction caught on cam at 9/11 memorial sparks online fury

Breaking: Newly Declassified 9/11 Documents Reveal the Repeated Warnings Received by Clinton and Bush

The ‘Jumper’ Victims of 9/11 Deserve to Have Their Stories Heard: And Yet They’ve Been Erased by the Media

Attacks of 9/11 sent Rep. Eli Crane into the military and shaped the way he views the Iran war

Texas man remembered by Fox News hosts after repeat offender arrested in savage park bench slaying

Reporter’s Notebook: Countdown is on as Senate races to pass crypto, college sports bills

Court documents show groups inspiring ‘satanist’ teenager’s alleged plans to attack Christians

AOC’s ‘modern-day lynchings’ claim torn to shreds online as Black hanging case findings tell a different story

Mamdani greets America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani despite calls to skip 9/11 memorial

Flashback: How James Woods Encountered, Then Reported Multiple 9/11 Hijackers to the FBI

Trump Rejects Saudi Crown Prince’s Pleas for New U.S. Strikes in Middle East: Report

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.”