On 19 December, US President Donald Trump announced victory over Daesh in Syria, adding that the fight against the terrorist group was the only reason the United States remained in Syria.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States will withdraw its troops from Syria while continuing to finish the battle against Daesh terrorists.
He added that Washington remained a steadfast partner in the Middle East.
Earlier in December, media reported that Trump had ordered the Pentagon to develop a plan to withdraw about half of the 14,000 US troops in Afghanistan, coinciding with the president’s announcement that 2,000 American military personnel were set to leave Syria.
However, Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria was criticised by several US officials and resulted in two high-profile resignations — US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis, who announced that his views were no longer aligned with Trump’s, and Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy for the US coalition in Syria.