US has 鈥榥o plan鈥� as Syria pullout proceeds: ex-envoy

AFP
President Donald Trump and other members of the official party watch at Dover Air Force Base in the US state of Delaware on Jan. 19, 2019 as a US Navy carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of an American who was killed on Jan. 16, 2019, in a suicide bomb attack in Manbij, Syria. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
  • Former envoy Brett McGurk says the absence of a plan is increasing the risk to US forces
  • Trump announced the US withdrawal because, he said, Daesh had been defeated

WASHINGTON: The United States has no plan for Syria as it proceeds with President Donald Trump鈥檚 order to pull American troops out of the country, a top official who quit in protest at the policy said on Sunday.
Brett McGurk, who was America鈥檚 envoy to the US-led global coalition against the Daesh group, said 鈥渢here鈥檚 no plan for what鈥檚 coming next鈥� and this is increasing the risk to US forces.
He spoke in an interview with CBS鈥檚 鈥淔ace the Nation,鈥� after a suicide bomber on Wednesday killed four Americans and 15 others in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. It was the deadliest attack to hit US troops since they deployed to Syria in 2014 to assist local forces against the Daesh group.
The bombing came after Trump鈥檚 announcement last month that he was ordering a full withdrawal of the 2,000 US troops from Syria, shocking allies and leading to the resignations of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as well as McGurk.
Senior US officials have since given contradictory statements about US intentions, but the Pentagon said it had begun the withdrawal, although how long it would take remained uncertain.
鈥淭he president has made that clear 鈥� we are leaving. And that means our force should be really with one mission: to get out and get out safely,鈥� McGurk told 鈥淔ace the Nation.鈥�
But he added: 鈥淩ight now we do not have a plan. It increases a vulnerability of our force... It is increasing the risk to our people on the ground in Syria and will open up space for Daesh,鈥� another acronym for IS.
Most importantly, said McGurk, the US cannot expect 鈥渁 partner鈥� such as NATO-ally Turkey to take the place of the United States.
鈥淭hat is not realistic. And if our forces are under order to withdraw, as at the same time they are trying to find some formula for another coalition partner to come in, that is not workable. That is not a viable plan.鈥�
Trump announced the US withdrawal because, he said, IS had been defeated 鈥� something McGurk and other experts dispute.
McGurk has previously warned that the US pullout would shore up Syria鈥檚 President Bashar Assad and lessen America鈥檚 leverage with Russia and Iran.

 

 

Topics: Syria US forces in Syria Manbij