Military officials have presented an almost unanimous view that withdrawing US troops from Syria now would be a mistake — a stance that clashes with Trump’s stated opinion that “it’s time” to come home. Top commanders expressed their sentiments in public on Tuesday, despite Trump’s remarks.
During the meeting with his national security council at the White House, Trump was told by top advisers such as Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, that leaving Syria now would provide an opening for Russia, Turkey and Iran to advance their own interests in the country, which run counter to the United States’. The leaders of those countries are meeting in Ankara this week to discuss their own path forward in Syria.
At one stage, Dunford asked the President to state explicitly what he wanted to see happen in Syria, according to an administration official…
The President responded by saying US troops need to finish their mission against ISIS in Syria within six months, a timeline military officials — including Defense Secretary James Mattis — warned would be too short, according to the administration official. Trump responded by telling his team to just get it done.
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