As the US prepares to pull its troops out of the warzone, Trump tweeted: "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."
Why is Donald Trump pulling out US troops from Syria?
Donald Trump has declared victory over ISIS in Syria as the Pentagon prepares to pull all its troops out of the war-torn country.
The US president this afternoon tweeted: "We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency."
The news comes after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis advocated a longer-term military presence to help ensure ISIS cannot reemerge.
And after the United Nations revealed just three months ago that “between 13,100 and 14,500 ISIS members remained in Syria.”
That figure included an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 jihadists “in the US military’s areas of operation.”
However, President Trump has long expressed his strong desire to bring the 2,000 plus American troops home from Syria when possible.
Has ISIS been defeated?
Today Trump proudly declared victory over the terror group while making it very clear he saw no further grounds for remaining in Syria.
The actual timing of the withdrawal was not immediately clear and officials who spoke to Reuters did not disclose details about why now.
Two US officials reportedly said a decision to withdraw had already been reached but that could not be immediately confirmed by the military.
It was also unclear how soon a decision detailing any withdrawal plans might actually be announced to the world.
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