Trump «Persuaded Not To Pull Out Immediately» From Syria

Local Editor

Some US officials say President Donald Trump has been persuaded not to withdraw troops from Syria immediately, despite his recent announcement that the United States would "be coming out of Syria very soon."

According to reports, top US War and State Department officials have adopted a totally different stance than that of Trump's regarding the withdrawal of American troops from Syria, arguing that the US shall not leave the Arab country anytime soon as the "mission is not over."

Trump's advisers now have reportedly convinced him that an abrupt withdrawal from Syria could risk resurgence by the Wahhabi Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] terrorist group.

The White House said on Wednesday the US military mission in Syria would come to a "rapid end," but refused to provide a timetable for a complete troop withdrawal.

The White House statement said Daesh was almost completely decimated, and that Washington would consult its allies about the American withdrawal.

A top Trump administration official told NBC News on Wednesday that the president agreed in a meeting with his national security team Tuesday to keep American military presence in Syria for an undetermined period, but "wasn't thrilled about it, to say the least."

When his advisers told him they needed more time to complete the mission, Trump demanded to know how much longer, the senior administration official said.

"If you need more time, how much more time do you need? Six months? A year?" he asked, according to the official.

His team said they could not tell how long it will take to defeat Daesh terrorists and train local forces to protect their gains after the United States leaves.

The official said Trump reluctantly agreed to give the effort more time when advisers reminded him that he has spoken against setting deadlines in foreign military operations in the past.

Source: Press TV, Edited by website team