US to withdraw combat troops from Syria.

American and rebel troops in Syria. BBC/AFP.

President Trump has announced that America is pulling out of Syria after the defeat of ISIS. BBC. Currently around 2000 troops are stationed in Syria with a mission of assisting local forces in destroying ISIS. ISIS still has a few fighters left in Syria but have lost much of there power there. Little is known about the schedule of withdrawal and the future of any US involvement in Syria. It is also unknown what the fate of US allies in Syria will be. 

We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018

After historic victories against ISIS, it’s time to bring our great young people home! pic.twitter.com/xoNjFzQFTp

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018

My Comment:
Very positive news out of Syria. Our role in that conflict is mostly complete. I have little doubt that the withdrawal of troops will not be the end of the story, but it won't be our soldiers lives on the line anymore. It will be up to the Syrians, Turks and Kurds to defeat the last few ISIS fighters in Syria. The US may play a role in an advisory or support function, but it won't be boots on the ground anymore.

There is a lot of hand wringing from the media and the other usual suspects about ISIS. Those people can be largely ignored. Yes, ISIS still has fighters and yes ISIS still controls some small territory. But they aren't even the biggest terror army left in Syria. Whatever al-Nusra is calling themselves now controls way more territory than ISIS and has a bigger army, but nobody is saying we need to stay in Syria to fight them.

ISIS as a force is broken in Syria. They only have a few fighters left and what little they do have has been forced to go underground. What remains of their army is fighting a futile last stand along the banks of the Euphrates in Eastern Syria. The battle is slow going due to all the mines and booby traps but victory is assured. Though they will remain a threat in Syria, just like they remain a threat in Iraq, they aren't the massive terror army that they used to be. They aren't a statelet anymore and they are barely an army. Pretty soon they will be just a run of the mill terror group in Syria, just like all the others.

Plus, it's not like there aren't people on the ground willing to fight them. The Kurds will continue to do so, at least until Turkey screws everything up. And the Syrian military, along with their Russian and Iranian allies are in a great position to take over our troops role in the conflict. ISIS will not escape barring some kind of incredible disaster.

The real questions now are what happens to Syria after the United States leaves. The biggest pressing question is what happens with the Kurds. They still control huge swaths of territory and it's not clear if they will willingly go back to the Assad government. It doesn't look like they can remain independent though. It seems very clear that Turkey will not allow that and may even invade Syria further to crush the Kurds.

It is also unclear if America will have the Kurds back. Though I have issues with the Kurds left wing politics, letting them be crushed by the Turks would be a betrayal. There is no guarantee that we will back them, even though they were good allies in the fight against ISIS. They were certainly better than the Turks.

Another question is what happens with Assad. With America pulling out it seems pretty clear that Assad has all but won the war. He still faces the Kurdish question, al-Nusra in the north and a few remaining pockets of ISIS and rebel resistance, but the idea that he was going to be removed from power is a dead one. Assad has won the war but can he win the peace?

I do have to say that I am disappointed in how the media is spinning this withdrawal. It is amazing to me to see the left wing dominated media praise neocons like Lindsey who are criticizing President Trump for this move. Remember when the left wing was anti-war? I do, and it seems like a lifetime ago.

And it's important to note that the neocons aren't upset about a possible return for ISIS. They want Assad gone and they also want a war with Russia. Neither of those things are likely to happen if we pull out troops and as far as I am concerned that is a very good thing...