US President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that his administration has yet to decide on whether to pull troops out of Syria.
When asked about reports that the US would withdraw from the country, Trump said “I don’t know who said that. But we’ll make a determination on that”.
“We’re not involved in Syria. Syria’s its own mess. They’ve got enough messes over there. They don’t need us involved,” he added.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported last Tuesday that US officials told their Israeli counterparts that Trump intends to pull troops out of Syria.
The US has around 2,000 soldiers deployed to Syria, mostly in the northeast supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against Islamic State (IS) cells in the region, and helping ensure the detention of thousands of IS members in facilities across SDF-held territory.
In late 2019, during his first term in office, Trump announced the withdrawal of US soldiers supporting the SDF in military operations against IS.
The abrupt announcement was later reversed after a Turkish military operation against the SDF, dubbed ‘Operation Peace Spring’ sparked backlash in the US.
US bases are now concentrated in the northeast of Hasakah province.
Speculation of another Trump withdrawal from Syria comes against the backdrop of renewed Turkish hostility towards the SDF.
The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) are the leading component of the SDF and are seen by Turkey as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which have fought the Turkish state for over four decades, seeking autonomy or independence for Kurdish regions of Turkey.
The Turkish government has said that, if necessary, it would use force against the SDF to prevent any Kurdish secession from Syria and called for it to disarm. It has also conducted strikes against the group.
Meanwhile, Syria’s new transitional government, which is seen as close to Turkey, is actively negotiating with the SDF to integrate the northeast into central government control, although sticking points around governance and military integration persist.
