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Swordsmyth
03-19-2019, 04:36 PM
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford issued a statement Monday denying (https://thedefensepost.com/2019/03/18/us-dunford-denies-1000-troops-syria/) weekend media reports that the US plans to leave (https://news.antiwar.com/2019/03/17/us-planning-to-keep-around-1000-troops-in-syria/) around 1,000 troops in Syria, saying the reports are “factually incorrect.”

https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/sdijfdsiofds.jpg

Dunford presented the current planned “residual force” as 200, saying that this hadn’t changed since February.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03-19/top-us-general-denies-plans-leave-1000-troops-syria

TheCount
03-19-2019, 06:28 PM
Were you just hoping that nobody was going to read the text that is below the photo?

Swordsmyth
03-19-2019, 06:39 PM
Were you just hoping that nobody was going to read the text that is below the photo?
We already know about the plan to temporarily leave 200 troops, there were rumors that it had gone up to 400 and the latest rumors said 1,000.

We are leaving, it won't be as fast as I want but we are leaving and the anonymous sources are bunk.

TheCount
03-19-2019, 07:09 PM
We are leaving, it won't be as fast as I want but we are leaving and the anonymous sources are bunk.

"indefinite" and “for the foreseeable future” does not imply temporary.

Swordsmyth
03-19-2019, 07:14 PM
"indefinite" and “for the foreseeable future” does not imply temporary.
Too bad for you that that isn't what was said about the 200:
"A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time."

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/22/69692...roops-in-syria (https://www.npr.org/2019/02/22/696928907/u-s-will-leave-200-peacekeeping-troops-in-syria)

TheCount
03-19-2019, 07:56 PM
Too bad for you that that isn't what was said about the 200:
"A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time."

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/22/69692...roops-in-syria (https://www.npr.org/2019/02/22/696928907/u-s-will-leave-200-peacekeeping-troops-in-syria)

This is what was said about those 200:


https://youtu.be/9Vlr3Rvmt_s?t=65


Anyway.

Your article was from the beginning of the walk-back of the withdrawal. This is how it goes with the Trump administration: Trump says something. Sanders walks it back a little but then flees from reporters before answering any of their questions. Thus, "other officials" have to explain that what she said was actually bullshit and doesn't at all describe what actually happened. Several weeks later, Trump admits that what the "other officials" said is true, but acts as if it's not news and everyone's known it all along.


So, back to your article that you posted...


Too bad for you that that isn't what was said about the 200:
"A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time."

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/22/69692...roops-in-syria (https://www.npr.org/2019/02/22/696928907/u-s-will-leave-200-peacekeeping-troops-in-syria)

Did you read it before you linked it? The title is "U.S. Will Leave 400 Troops In Syria."

That was 12 hours later or midway through the walkback.


The Trump administration is changing the number of American troops that will remain in Syria. Approximately 400 troops will stay there, a senior administration official has told NPR. That's double the number announced Thursday night by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

You see, this was the day after Sanders' announcement, but early in the day. That's plenty of time for level 2 walkbacks, but not level 3 walkbacks. Let's go to Fox for the friendliest, Kool-Aidiest version of how this works.


21 Feb: (https://www.foxnews.com/us/white-house-says-us-will-keep-200-troops-in-syria)


The White House says the U.S. is keeping 200 American troops in Syria as part of a small peacekeeping force.White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday that the small force will remain in Syria "for a period of time."


22 Feb: (https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-pushes-nato-allies-to-join-observer-force-in-syria)


President Donald Trump's decision authorizing about 200 U.S. troops to remain in northeast Syria indefinitely is a key step in creating a larger multinational observer force that can keep the peace and prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group, administration and defense officials said Friday, as U.S. leaders press NATO allies to join.

The president also agreed to allow the Pentagon to keep about 200 troops at the al-Tanf garrison in southern Syria, where they train local forces and help root out remaining IS militants in the region.

Only took 24 hours to go from "period of time" to indefinitely and oh... by the way, yeah there's another 200 which don't count because we meant that the first 200 was only in a particular part of Syria... and that the 'period of time' might have only applied to one of those two groups, not both.


Later in the same article (the faithful will never read this much):


Asked about the decision to keep 400 U.S. troops in Syria, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan described it as "good progress."

See how you get slow rolled by the propagandists? This is the very next paragraph after that:


Officials said the number of U.S. troops assigned to the safe zone could change, but that roughly 200 is an informed number. They said U.S. troops would remain in the area indefinitely to...

Anti Globalist
03-19-2019, 09:03 PM
I don't even want to have 1 US troop in Syria.

AZJoe
03-19-2019, 09:38 PM
Pentagon Keeps Adding Forces (https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/02/syria-sitrep-us-says-it-will-retreat-but-adds-troops-arms-and-ammunition.html#more)

The U.S. retreat from northeast Syria is still not happening. … the Pentagon is doing the opposite …

The few hundred ISIS fighters still alive could be killed in a day or two which would then be the right time for the U.S. to leave as President Trump announced [months] ago.

But the U.S. military keeps increasing its troop numbers and supplies in the area. [Since December] the number of U.S. soldiers in northeast Syria rose by nearly 50%. Instead of the officially acknowledged 2,000 there are now at least 3,000 U.S. soldiers in northeast Syria. New weapons and equipment arrive every day. Additionally, the Syrian Observatory reports (http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=115306), the U.S. is bringing in a significant number of TOW anti-tank missiles and heavy machine guns even though there is no longer an apparent use for these …

the New York Times finally confirms (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/03/us/politics/trump-iraq-troops-syria-iran.html) the increased troop numbers … :
The American military has started withdrawing some equipment, but not yet troops, officials said on Sunday. The number of American troops in Syria has actually increased in recent weeks to more than 3,000 — a standard practice to bring in additional security and logistics troops temporarily to help protect and carry out the process of pulling out — three Defense Department officials said.

The explanation makes little sense. One does not need 1,000 additional troops to secure and remove the stocks of a 2,000 strong force deployment in mostly friendly territory.

The NYT also reveals that the U.S. wants to let the Kurdish PKK keep the arms it received … This breaks a promise (https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2017/06/22/us-reassures-turkey-over-arms-provided-to-syrian-kurds/) the U.S. repeatedly made to Turkey …

enhanced_deficit
03-19-2019, 09:53 PM
This is huge, another campiagn promise delivered.
This is also a rebuke of GOP neocon wing led by ZOA supported Bolton who in the recent past had publicly contradicted POTUS after POTUS (CiC) announced quick Syria exit the second time in last few years. That was a shameful chapter that should be closed now.



Related

Trump: 'Just Kidding. We're Staying In Syria.' (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?521077-Trump-Just-Kidding-We-re-Staying-In-Syria&)

AZJoe
03-19-2019, 10:17 PM
1092079222724722688

Swordsmyth
03-19-2019, 11:56 PM
This is what was said about those 200:


https://youtu.be/9Vlr3Rvmt_s?t=65


Anyway.

Your article was from the beginning of the walk-back of the withdrawal. This is how it goes with the Trump administration: Trump says something. Sanders walks it back a little but then flees from reporters before answering any of their questions. Thus, "other officials" have to explain that what she said was actually bull$#@! and doesn't at all describe what actually happened. Several weeks later, Trump admits that what the "other officials" said is true, but acts as if it's not news and everyone's known it all along.


So, back to your article that you posted...



Did you read it before you linked it? The title is "U.S. Will Leave 400 Troops In Syria."

That was 12 hours later or midway through the walkback.



You see, this was the day after Sanders' announcement, but early in the day. That's plenty of time for level 2 walkbacks, but not level 3 walkbacks. Let's go to Fox for the friendliest, Kool-Aidiest version of how this works.


21 Feb: (https://www.foxnews.com/us/white-house-says-us-will-keep-200-troops-in-syria)




22 Feb: (https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-pushes-nato-allies-to-join-observer-force-in-syria)



Only took 24 hours to go from "period of time" to indefinitely and oh... by the way, yeah there's another 200 which don't count because we meant that the first 200 was only in a particular part of Syria... and that the 'period of time' might have only applied to one of those two groups, not both.


Later in the same article (the faithful will never read this much):



See how you get slow rolled by the propagandists? This is the very next paragraph after that:

They are all going to leave, it won't be as fast as I want but they will leave.

All of the nonsense about 400 or 1,000 is just people trying to change that but we have just been told that those people don't know what they are talking about.
The same goes for the "indefinitely" garbage.

TheCount
03-20-2019, 05:02 AM
They are all going to leave, it won't be as fast as I want but they will leave.

All of the nonsense about 400 or 1,000 is just people trying to change that but we have just been told that those people don't know what they are talking about.
The same goes for the "indefinitely" garbage.


https://youtu.be/VcjzHMhBtf0

Swordsmyth
03-22-2019, 05:49 PM
The White House announced on Friday that all of ISIS caliphate territory in Syria has been “100 percent eliminated”.
Spokeswoman Sarah Sanders confirmed in a press briefing that President Trump had been notified and briefed by US Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan while en route to Florida aboard Air Force One. Sanders confidently told reporters that ISIS' "territorial caliphate has been eliminated in Syria."
https://zh-prod-1cc738ca-7d3b-4a72-b792-20bd8d8fa069.storage.googleapis.com/s3fs-public/inline-images/trump%20maps%20isis.jpg
US-backed SDF forces have for the past weeks been waging a fierce battle on Baghouz camp, which US coalition statements have described as the last holdout to the "most hardened" ISIS militants, numbering in the hundreds, in Abu Kamal District of Deir Ezzor governate near the Iraqi border.

On Friday, en route to Florida aboard Air Force One, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced that ISIS' "territorial caliphate has been eliminated in Syria."
Sanders showed reporters a before-and-after map of Syria, indicating that ISIS no longer controlled any territory. — NPR (https://www.npr.org/2019/03/22/701266887/analysis-the-end-of-the-caliphate-doesn-t-mean-the-end-of-isis)
Previously in the week on Wednesday, Trump said that this last tiny ISIS enclave would be “gone by tonight.” Soon following this, reports indicated that the US-backed SDF “liberated all of Baghouz from the ISIS mercenaries”.
At a speech before a Conservative Political Action Conference Trump had noted that administration officials would make the announcement “probably today or tomorrow” that “we will actually have 100 percent of the caliphate in Syria.”
“The caliphate is gone, as of tonight," Trump said, and added, “Pretty good. That’s pretty good, right?”


More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03-22/white-house-declares-isis-100-percent-eliminated-syria

Swordsmyth
07-09-2019, 11:10 PM
Amid an awkward diplomatic row between the UK and US following leaked cables (https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-07/farage-demands-uks-us-ambassador-be-fired-after-inept-incompetent-trump-slur) sent from Britain's ambassador to the United States back to London which described President Trump as "inept," "insecure" and "incompetent," the United Kingdom joined France Tuesday in being among the only US allies to heed the administration's call to bolster forces in Syria.
Notably Germany has rebuffed the US request to deploy additional troops as part of the "anti-ISIS coalition" primarily in Syria's north and east after US special envoy James Jeffrey told Die Welt’s Sunday edition (https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article196466183/Anti-IS-Koalition-USA-fordern-Einsatz-deutscher-Bodentruppen-in-Syrien.html) that,"We want ground forces from Germany to partially replace our soldiers." This as the Pentagon plans a draw down in line with Trump's longtime promise to the American public of a "full" and "complete" withdrawal which has been long delayed since last year over concerns that either pro-Assad and Iranian forces or Turkey could fill the vacuum.


The Guardian confirmed the following on Tuesday (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/09/uk-and-france-to-send-further-forces-to-syria-in-aid-of-us-withdrawal?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1562695816):



US officials briefed on Tuesday that Britain and France would contribute 10% to 15% more elite soldiers, although the exact numbers involved remain secret.
The decision was first reported in the journal Foreign Policy (https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/07/09/britain-france-agree-to-send-additional-troops-increase-syria-us-withdrawal-uk/), which described the development as “a major victory … for Donald Trump’s national security team” because few other countries had been willing to help out.
The US call for increased German presence had reportedly caused deep division (https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-07/discord-merkels-ruling-coalition-after-us-asks-more-german-troops-syria) in Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition, per the AFP (https://news.yahoo.com/us-calls-germany-send-ground-troops-syria-110817769.html):

Discord broke out in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition Sunday, after the United States urged the country to send ground troops to Syria as Washington looks to withdraw from the region.
The Pentagon is believed to have slowly begun drawing down its presence in Syria, from a force which is believed to have been anywhere from 2,000 to multiple thousands, down to a possible current level of 400.


More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-07-09/uk-france-accept-trumps-call-more-troops-syria-germany-rebuffs

Zippyjuan
07-09-2019, 11:15 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/09/uk-and-france-to-send-further-forces-to-syria-in-aid-of-us-withdrawal

Earlier today.


UK and France to send further forces to Syria in aid of US withdrawal

Britain has agreed to deploy additional special forces in Syria alongside France to allow the US to withdraw its ground troops from the ongoing fight against the remaining Isis forces in the country.

US officials briefed on Tuesday that Britain and France would contribute 10% to 15% more elite soldiers, although the exact numbers involved remain secret.

The decision was first reported in the journal Foreign Policy, which described the development as “a major victory … for Donald Trump’s national security team” because few other countries had been willing to help out.

Earlier this week, it emerged that Germany had rejected a request to deploy ground troops in Syria. Other countries have been dragging their heels, the US admitted, although Italy is considering whether to join Britain and France.

The British support comes at a time when the UK is embroiled in a full-scale diplomatic row with Trump over Britain’s ambassador to Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, in the aftermath of leaked diplomatic cables in which the diplomat described the Trump administration as “inept” and “dysfunctional”.

Trump has been pushing to withdraw all ground troops from Syria, a decision that led to the resignation of his defense secretary, James Mattis, in December.

At the time, about 2,000 to 2,500 US troops were in the country. Trump then partially reversed the decision in February, meaning that about 400 would remain as a peacekeeping force for an indeterminate period.

The UK does not comment on the activities of its special forces, but it is well known that the SAS has been operating in the fight against Isis. Sources also confirmed the essence of the Foreign Policy report.

Concerns linger that, while Isis has lost all of the territory it once held, many of its fighters have gone to ground in northern Syria and Iraq. Too rapid a withdrawal could present an opportunity for Isis to strengthen and regroup.



More at link.

Swordsmyth
07-09-2019, 11:16 PM
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/09/uk-and-france-to-send-further-forces-to-syria-in-aid-of-us-withdrawal

Earlier today.



More at link.

The indeterminate period is coming to an end.

Zippyjuan
07-09-2019, 11:17 PM
The indeterminate period is coming to an end.

That was said just today. Not ending.

Swordsmyth
07-09-2019, 11:19 PM
That was said just today. Not ending.
Learn to read, the frame of reference for the indeterminate period was FEBRUARY:


At the time, about 2,000 to 2,500 US troops were in the country. Trump then partially reversed the decision in February, meaning that about 400 would remain as a peacekeeping force for an indeterminate period.

The indeterminate period is coming to an end.

Zippyjuan
07-09-2019, 11:22 PM
Learn to read, the frame of reference for the indeterminate period was FEBRUARY:



The indeterminate period is coming to an end.

In December he said they would all be gone in 30 days. In March, 2018 he said they would all be out "very soon". The end is always "near".

(Britain and France said they expect the US to pay for their forces in Syria if they do help out there- Germany is refusing to send any ground forces).

Swordsmyth
07-09-2019, 11:29 PM
In December he said they would all be gone in 30 days. In March, 2018 he said they would all be out "very soon". The end is always "near".
:sleeping:

The indeterminate period is coming to an end.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJoM7V54T-c

Zippyjuan
07-09-2019, 11:36 PM
:sleeping:

The indeterminate period is coming to an end.



Thus sayeth Swortdsmyth and so it shall be! All hail Swordsmyth!

From about a week ago:


Several member states of the counter-ISIS coalition are expected to announce within weeks that they will backfill U.S. ground troops withdrawing from Syria, in what would be a major development for President Trump’s desire to limit American military involvement in the conflict.

“There’s something pending to look forward to. Very pending,” said Amb. Jim Jeffrey, top U.S. envoy to Syria and the counter-ISIS coalition, in an exclusive interview with Defense One on Friday. The envoy declined to reveal which countries he expected to provide the troops, leaving it to individual governments to make their own announcements.



“The drawdown is continuing,” Jeffrey said. “The president is committed to maintaining a residual force for an indeterminate time as we continue this careful and responsible drawdown. But this drawdown was always only of American ground troops. Our expectation is the slack will be taken up by coalition forces — and we are getting a very encouraging response from them — and that we will continue to maintain our critically important air control and air operations over Northeast Syria, we will continue our ground presence at al-Tanf, and we will be ready to introduce forces to go after specific terrorist targets.

“So, therefore, this is simply President Trump’s principle of burden-sharing being carried out on the ground, and people are just ‘Oh, shocked,’ but he’s serious about it and we’re getting good results.”

Swordsmyth
07-09-2019, 11:39 PM
Thus sayeth Swortdsmyth and so it shall be! All hail Swordsmyth!

From about a week ago:

An "indeterminate period" can mean a week or a month or anything else, all it means is that they are keeping it secret and not telegraphing their plans.

I also notice that you didn't give a link and that makes me suspect that you are playing games like when you tried to change the frame of reference from February to yesterday in the other post.

Swordsmyth
07-09-2019, 11:40 PM
Britain and France said they expect the US to pay for their forces in Syria if they do help out there-
Link?

Zippyjuan
07-09-2019, 11:51 PM
Link?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/09/britain-planning-send-troops-syria-backfill-us-withdrawal/


Both the UK and France - the only other US allies on the ground - are said to be prepared to increase their commitment by 10-15 per cent each, according to US official quoted in Foreign Policy, who said they would be asking for financial assistance in return.

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment. Germany on Monday rejected a similar request from Washington to increase their military contribution, saying it was only prepared to offer “non-combat assistance”.

The official told Foreign Policy that “overall we have been disappointed” in efforts to persuade America’s allies to commit additional resources to the country, where the war has been raging for more than eight years.

Swordsmyth
07-09-2019, 11:55 PM
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/09/britain-planning-send-troops-syria-backfill-us-withdrawal/
Asking doesn't mean they will get it or it might be very temporary.
Or we might just leave without replacements.

Zippyjuan
07-09-2019, 11:57 PM
Asking doesn't mean they will get it or it might be very temporary.
Or we might just leave without replacements.

Or you might be just making things up yet again.

Swordsmyth
07-09-2019, 11:58 PM
Or you might be just making things up yet again.
:sleeping:

We will be out in time for 2020.

Zippyjuan
07-10-2019, 12:00 AM
:sleeping:

We will be out in time for 2020.

The entire wall along the southern border will be competed by then too.