U.S. Ally Against Islamic State Urges Trump to Leave Troops in Syria Top Kurdish commander wants up to 1,500 forces to help safeguard Kurdish forces from Turkey and keep Islamic State militants from regaining power By Gordon Lubold
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-ally-against-islamic-state-urges-trump-to-leave-troops-in-syria-11550520213
AN AIRBASE IN NORTHEAST SYRIA—The Kurdish commander leading the fight against Islamic State in Syria urged the U.S. to reconsider its decision to withdraw all its forces and instead leave a small contingent in the country.
Gen. Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which has seized all but the last remnants of Islamic State-held territory, said on Monday that the U.S., France and Britain should aim to leave as many as 1,500 troops from at least double that now.
Such a residual force, Gen. Abdi said, could safeguard Kurdish forces from Turkey and help eliminate Islamic State militants, who are increasingly retreating underground. Turkey views the Kurdish YPG militia—a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces—as a threat.
“I feel that American forces must remain sided with us,” he told reporters. “We don’t want them to leave Syria, but in the end it is an American decision.”
Some Islamic State militants over the weekend sought to negotiate a deal for safe passage from their last remaining territory, as they held civilians hostage.
Since President Trump in December ordered all of the more than 2,000 American troops out of Syria, many observers have speculated that the SDF, feeling betrayed by the U.S., would seek to ally itself with the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime or with Moscow.
Gen. Abdi’s proposal may carry weight in persuading Mr. Trump to rethink his decision since under his command the SDF has lost hundreds of troops fighting Islamic State. U.S. military commanders, who often speak in awe of Gen. Abdi’s leadership, said it would be foolish for the U.S. to completely leave Syria.
“You will lose a lot when you leave here,” said one official here Monday. “From an intelligence collection standpoint, from a partnership standpoint, [the SDF] will have to partner with other partners, and it makes your partnership a lot more difficult.”
Comments are closed.
