President Donald Trump explained his Wednesday decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, in a series of tweets Thursday.
Getting out of Syria was no surprise. I’ve been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer. Russia, Iran, Syria & others are the local enemy of ISIS. We were doing there work. Time to come home & rebuild. #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
….Russia, Iran, Syria & many others are not happy about the U.S. leaving, despite what the Fake News says, because now they will have to fight ISIS and others, who they hate, without us. I am building by far the most powerful military in the world. ISIS hits us they are doomed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the decision in a Wednesday morning statement saying, “we have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign.”
“The United States and our allies stand ready to re-engage at all levels to defend American interests whenever necessary, and we will continue to work together to deny radical Islamist terrorists territory, funding, support, and any means of infiltrating our borders,” she added. (RELATED: Trump: ‘Mission Accomplished’ In Syria Strikes)
A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carries his weapon in the village of Susah in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, near the Syrian border with Iraq on September 13, 2018. – US-backed fighters are fighting in Deir Ezzor to oust Islamic State jihadists from the town of Hajin on the east bank of the Euphrates, the most significant remnant of the sprawling “caliphate” the jihadists once controlled spanning Syria and Iraq. (DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Trump tweeted Wednesday evening a video justifying his withdrawal saying, “we have won against ISIS … we have beaten them and we’ve beaten them badly and now its time for our troops to come back home,” adding, “our boys, our young women, our men … they’re all coming back … and they’re all coming back now.”
After historic victories against ISIS, it’s time to bring our great young people home! pic.twitter.com/xoNjFzQFTp
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018
Trump’s tweets seem to indicate that he wants Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime to take the helm of the anti-ISIS effort in Syria.
Trump has long wanted to withdraw troops from Syria, saying in April, “I want to get out” at a press conference, adding “I want to bring our troops back home.” The president reluctantly agreed to pleas from Secretary of Defense James Mattis to continue the mission after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons once again against his own populace.