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U.S. to end air war against Islamic State in Syria
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS DECEMBER 20, 2018 / 6:52 AM / UPDATED 39 MINUTES AGO
U.S. to end air war against Islamic State in Syria
Phil Stewart, Ellen Francis
5 MIN READ
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States will end its air campaign against Islamic State in Syria when it pulls out troops, U.S. officials said, sealing an abrupt reversal of policy which has alarmed Western allies as well as Washington’s Kurdish battle partners.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have been fighting Islamic State with U.S. support for three years, said President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of troops would grant the militants breathing space to regroup at a critical stage in the conflict and leave Syrians stuck between “the claws of hostile parties” fighting for territory in the seven-year-old war.
Trump’s announcement on Wednesday upended a central pillar of American policy in the Middle East and stunned U.S. lawmakers and allies.
Western allies including France, Britain and Germany described Trump’s assertion of victory as premature. France, a leading member of the U.S.-led coalition, said it would keep its troops in northern Syria for now because Islamic State militants had not been wiped out.
-snip-
U.S. to end air war against Islamic State in Syria
Phil Stewart, Ellen Francis
5 MIN READ
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States will end its air campaign against Islamic State in Syria when it pulls out troops, U.S. officials said, sealing an abrupt reversal of policy which has alarmed Western allies as well as Washington’s Kurdish battle partners.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have been fighting Islamic State with U.S. support for three years, said President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of troops would grant the militants breathing space to regroup at a critical stage in the conflict and leave Syrians stuck between “the claws of hostile parties” fighting for territory in the seven-year-old war.
Trump’s announcement on Wednesday upended a central pillar of American policy in the Middle East and stunned U.S. lawmakers and allies.
Western allies including France, Britain and Germany described Trump’s assertion of victory as premature. France, a leading member of the U.S.-led coalition, said it would keep its troops in northern Syria for now because Islamic State militants had not been wiped out.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa/u-s-to-end-air-war-against-islamic-state-in-syria-idUSKCN1OJ1F5