How will the US military mission in Syria proceed with Trump’s arrival?
The American newspaper’s reporter wrote in the introduction that the developments resulting from the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad have raised important questions about the 2,000 American troops stationed in Syria.
The Washington Post explained in this regard: While the Pentagon’s main partner [the Syrian Democratic Forces] fights for survival on the battlefield and the American leader [Donald Trump], who is skeptical of foreign military commitments, prepares to return to power, the sudden fall of the Assad regime has thrown the long-standing US military mission in Syria into doubt.
According to the article, US President-elect Donald Trump will face a transformed Middle East and increasingly important questions about the future of the approximately 2,000 American troops stationed in eastern Syria as he begins his second term next month.
The newspaper then noted that Trump, who repeatedly threatened to withdraw American troops from Syria during his first term and has sought in recent days to keep the United States out of the ongoing unrest in the country, has not revealed his plans for a US military mission there.
The Washington Post added that he and his advisers have indicated that one of the top priorities will be to contain ISIS, a group that has regrouped in the southern Syrian desert, where American forces have been targeting it with heavy airstrikes in recent days.
James Jeffrey, who served as the US special representative for Syria during Trump’s first term, claimed that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham had been successful in fighting ISIS in the past, a matter that, according to the Washington Post, could raise questions for the next US president.
“Trump is asking himself, ‘Why do I have to keep troops [in Syria] to fight ISIS when basically our entire battle is basically bombing them in the desert,’” Jeffrey said, and that will be a very difficult question to answer.
Representative Michael Waltz, a Republican from Florida and a candidate to be the next national security adviser, said Trump would prioritize limiting foreign conflicts, but he has also described preventing the resurgence of ISIS as his “number one priority,” raising questions about the military strategy the new administration might pursue.