US may withdraw troops from Syria over army, Islamic State fights

The US is reportedly weighing withdrawing its troops as Damascus moves against the America-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharra has launched an offensive to disarm militias that were formed during the civil war in the country. According to a report by Middle East Eye, if the Kurdish-led SDF crumbles, the US will have to withdraw its troops. Currently, there are about 800 to 1,000 US soldiers posted in the country.

“Working with the Syrian Army would not be viable, as it has too many “jihadist sympathisers” and people who have carried out mass killings of the Kurdish and Druze minorities,” US officials told The Wall Street Journal.  

At one point, the SDF was a force capable of tackling the Islamic State (IS). However, the fighting between the SDF and Syrian Army has also caused issues for the US soldiers.

Prisoners in Syria

The SDF is losing control of detention camps where 7,000 Islamic State fighters are placed. These fighters are from 50 countries, including France, Egypt, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Tunisia, Germany, Iraq, Sweden, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands.

On January 21, the US Central Command (Centcom) transfered 150 of them to a camp in Iraq. The plan is to ultimately move all detainees out of Syria, it said. 

“The United States welcomes the Government of Iraq’s initiative to detain ISIS terrorists in secure facilities in Iraq, following recent instability in northeast Syria,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement released on Thursday, January 22, using another acronym for IS.