‘I never said fast or slow’: Trump has vague timeline for ‘sand and death’ Syria withdrawal
2 Jan, 2019
President Donald Trump told reporters that his planned withdrawal of US troops from Syria would take place over an unspecified “period of time,” adding that previous reports of a withdrawal within four months were false.
The president announced the pullout from Syria on Christmas Eve, leaving Turkish forces to “eradicate whatever is left of ISIS” there. Following the announcement, the New York Times reported on Monday that Trump would give the military four months to extricate itself from Syria completely.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump denied giving the military a concrete timeline. “I never said fast or slow” he told reporters. “Somebody said four months, but I never said that either,” the president added.
Read more at https://www.rt.com/news/447966-trump-syria-timelling-kurds/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Email
US committed to ‘protection of Israel’ despite Syria withdrawal, Pompeo assures Netanyahu
1 Jan, 2019
The US ‘withdrawal’ from Syria might not mean the end of all its Syria-related operations where Israel is concerned, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed Washington’s ongoing commitment to Israel’s security on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Brazil, Pompeo said the US’ commitment to Israel was unchanged, despite the pullout of US troops from Syria announced by the Trump administration last month. Pompeo said that the US effort to “counter Iranian aggression” would continue along with the “protection of Israel” just as it had before.
Read more at https://www.rt.com/usa/447892-pomeo-netanyahu-syria-israel-withdrawal/
