WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th February, 2019) The United States is pulling out forces from Syria in a coordinated manner and there are no timelines to discuss at the moment, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Chief of Staff to Iraqi Prime Minister Abdulkarim Hashim Mostafa told Sputnik the United States will withdraw forces from Syria through Iraqi territory by April 1. A Pentagon spokesperson, however, did not confirm the Iraqi official's statement when asked by Sputnik.
"As President Trump has stated from the outset the United States is withdrawing its forces from Syria in a manner that is deliberate and coordinated," Palladino said on Tuesday. "We have no timelines to discuss at the current time."
Palladino said Washington is actively engaging with Turkey and they will work together to fight the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia). That is part of US efforts, he added, to ensure a safe withdrawal while stabilizing northeast Syria.
"We take Turkey's legitimate security concerns seriously. We take them into account in our activities," Palladino added. "We are not going to discuss specifics of these talks but they continue."
President Donald Trump announced in December that the United States would leave Syria. However, no exact deadlines for the troops' withdrawal have been revealed by US officials yet.
The US troops have been operating in Syria as part of an international coalition for about five years without the permission of Syrian authorities or the UN Security Council. The United States has, in particular, supported the Kurdish-led militia controlling the territories to the east of the Euphrates and opposing the Syrian government.
Syrian President Bashar Assad has accused Washington of trying to overthrow the country's leadership and providing support to anti-government militants.
