Trump plans full withdrawal of US troops from Syria

December 19, 2018 21:22

The United States will withdraw its troops from Syria, a US official said on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump said America has "defeated Islamic State" in the war-ravaged country.

The move will have extraordinary geopolitical ramifications and throws into question the fate of US-backed Kurdish fighters who have been tackling Islamic State jihadists.

"We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency," Trump tweeted.

The US official said the decision was finalised on Tuesday.

"Full withdrawal, all means all," the official said when asked if the troops would be pulled from all of Syria.

The official would not provide a timeline.

"We will ensure force protection is adequately maintained, but as quickly as possible," the official said.

Currently, about 2,000 US forces are in Syria, most of them on a train-and-advise mission to support local forces fighting IS.

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