WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2018) Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee Senator Jack Reed in a statement referred to the US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw forces from Syria as a betrayal of Kurdish allies who continue to fight the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) in the region.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders in a statement released earlier in the day said that the US military has started the process of withdrawing troops from Syria as Washington focuses on the next phase of its campaign. A senior administration official told reporters that the Pentagon was working on a timeline for the US forces pullout.
"Pulling out of Syria in this manner would be a betrayal of our Kurdish partners who, along with other Arab partners, have sacrificed so much to take on ISIS [IS]," Reed said on Wednesday. "Now the President seems content to forsake their trust and abandon them to a potentially bloody conflict with Turkey."
The senator said the US withdrawal from Syria would bring security threats to Israel, Iraq, and Jordan that are crucial regional partners to the United States. In particular, Iran would likely take advantage of the withdrawal from Southeast Syria and use the land route to move weapons and personnel to attack Israel, Reed added.
Jordan and Iraq that continue to address large refugee flows, displacement of their population, and governance issues might also face destabilization, according to Reed. Reed continued that Syrian President Bashar Assad, Russia, IS, and Iran are among those who would benefit from the US withdrawal by acquiring more influence in the middle Eastern country.
US President Donald Trump in a Twitter post earlier on Wednesday said that IS has been defeated in Syria, which was the only reason for an American presence in the country.
