However, sources familiar with the discussions said there was surprise that the German plan was so lacking in detail, prompting questions as to whether it would progress much further, particularly given Turkish and Russian control of the area. Photograph: Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images CNN said it would happen relatively soon.Ī Russian military police armoured personnel carrier on patrol in north-eastern Syria. On Thursday night, as reports of the unexpected redeployment first circulated, Fox News reported that tanks would be used, probably from units already in the Middle East. “All the other forces would be turned off,” he said. The bulk of the 1,000 US troops who had been deployed in north-east Syria at the beginning of the month would ultimately return home, Esper indicated. Trump wrote: “When these pundit fools who have called the Middle East wrong for 20 years ask what we are getting out of the deal, I simply say, THE OIL, AND WE ARE BRINGING OUR SOLDIERS BACK HOME, ISIS SECURED!”Įsper said the intention was “to strengthen our position at Deir ez-Zor,” most likely at a gas plant, the site of a February 2018 clash between US special forces and Syrian regime-backed militias fighting with Russian mercenaries. Minutes earlier, Donald Trump tweeted to explain the importance of securing the oil, as part of his agreement with Turkey, which gave the green light for the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to launch an invasion to establish a security zone last month. The goal, he added, was to deny Isis access to the oilfields in north-east Syria, but he would not say how many US troops would remain other than to indicate the number would be fewer than 1,000.
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