The U.S. military announced Friday it is dutifully carrying out the orders President Trump issued 30 days ago, and beginning the process of withdrawing all U.S. forces from Syria.
But don’t expect them home right away.
In fact, so far no troops have left, and only some cargo has been shipped home.
A defense official told the Washington Examiner that so far most of what has been done amounts to planning, deciding which troops would leave when, and where they would go.
“We have not yet reduced force numbers,” the official said.
Pentagon officials say it will take three to four months for the orderly and safe withdrawal of the 2,200 U.S. troops along with their equipment now in Syria.
“The process of our deliberate withdrawal from Syria” has started, said Col. Sean Ryan, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, in a brief statement provided to news organizations Friday.
The U.S. hopes to get the troops out with as little fanfare as possible, so as not to telegraph when and how they are packing up and shipping out.
“Out of concern for operational security, we will not discuss specific timelines, locations or troops movements,” Ryan said in his statement.
On Monday, the Pentagon said a framework has been approved for the withdrawal of troops “in strong, deliberate and coordinated manner,” and that the U.S. military was already engaged in its implementation.
The announcement seemed to conflict with statements Sunday, by national security adviser John Bolton, who while meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem said American troops would not leave until ISIS was defeated, and Turkey had provided assurances it would mote move against Kurdish allies of the U.S.
But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaking to reporters in Cairo Thursday, said there was no conflict between what Bolton was saying and the beginning of the withdrawal.
“There’s no contradiction whatsoever. This is a story made up by the media. That’s fine. You all write what you’d like,” he said at a news conference with the Egyptian foreign minister.
“And so it is possible to hold in your head the thought that we would withdraw our forces, our uniformed forces from Syria and continue America’s crushing campaign where we have taken down 99 percent of the caliphate in Syria and continue that,” Pompeo said.
The Pentagon says the withdrawal plan is “conditions-based” and will not subject to “an arbitrary timeline.”
“The U.S. will continue to provide support to the Coalition’s operation in Syria while withdrawing troops in a strong, deliberate and coordinated manner in order to ensure US forces’ safety and protection,” said Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman.
Officials say the emphasis on the word “deliberate” is intentional, and means that the withdrawal will be done gradually over a period of months, and will be influenced by a number of factors, including weather.
In Egypt, Pompeo underscored President Trump’s decision to bring U.S. troops home does not mean the fight against ISIS is over.
“This isn’t a change of mission. We remain committed to the complete dismantling of ISIS — the ISIS threat — and the ongoing fight against radical Islamism in all of its forms,” he said in a speech at the American University in Cairo.
Pompeo and Pentagon officials say the U.S. will be calling on other partners in the 72-member “Defeat ISIS Coalition” to do more.
But the U.S. will continue to provides air power to strike ISIS and support partner forces on the ground.
“For our part, airstrikes in the region will continue as targets arise,” Pompeo said. “We will continue to hunt down terrorists who seek safe havens in Libya and in Yemen.”
In the short term, the number of U.S. troops in Syria will likely rise as the Pentagon sends “enablers” and force protection units to help with the extraction of troops.
A U.S. Navy amphibious ready group headed by the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge is headed to the region to provide support.
The group includes transport dock ship USS Arlington and dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry, and is carrying the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and its helicopters.
