U.S. Mideast Commander Sees Syria Withdrawal ‘Right on Track’ by Gordon Lubold – Wall Street Journal
The top U.S. commander in the Middle East said the military is pulling equipment out of Syria in preparation for a troop withdrawal that comes as the U.S.-led coalition has entered what it says is the last stages of its fight against Islamic State in Syria.
Gen. Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, temporarily moved additional security and logistics forces into Syria to prepare for the eventual withdrawal of the more than 2,000 American troops who have been helping to fight Islamic State.
President Trump announced in December that those troops, working with coalition forces and local fighters, had all but completed their work and that he would pull all troops out.
The U.S. will begin to pull those troops out of Syria in coming weeks, Gen. Votel said. More than three-quarters of the troops could be drawn out by the end of March, according to a senior official familiar with the planning efforts. Remaining forces will be redeployed throughout April, officials have said.
Gen. Votel didn’t provide specifics on when the U.S. would be out of Syria…