Did the U.S President Donald Trump consult his top general in the Middle East before making the surprise decision to pull troops out of Syria? The head of U.S military’s Central Command said, “He didn’t”. General Joseph Votel oversees military operations in the region. He informed U.S Senators on the Armed Services Committee that he was “not consulted” prior to the announcement.
The commander also added that Trump had publicly expressed a desire to leave Syria at some point, but he has failed to translate into a discussion before the withdrawal was confirmed. The revelation came as Gen Votel warned about an imminent threat from Isis in Syria and Iraq. He said that his presence would remain following the U.S withdrawal from the region.
The top U.S commander confirmed that the ISIS-held territory in Syria had reduced from 34,000 square miles to just 20 square miles. He added that the fight against the militant group in the region hasn’t yet finished. He declared that Trump didn’t consult him regarding the withdrawal announcement of U.S troops. Votel insisted that the Pentagon was ready and capable of fulfilling the president’s order to withdraw all American troops from Syria.
Votel said that at least 2,000 U.S ground forces would depart from the region in a deliberate and coordinated manner. Gen Votel said in a statement, “We are adjusting our military posture in Syria, planning and executing a deliberate, safe and professional withdrawal of personnel and equipment while preserving sufficient power in the region”.