Thread by @Charles_Lister

There is a possibility of an announcement today. That’s if the collective U.S. government is unable to push back against #Trump - as it did earlier in the year after his comments in #Ohio.

More than anything, this is an extraordinary insult to the recent efforts of Amb. Jeffrey.

https://twitter.com/charles_lister/status/1075388157418455040

#pt: #Trump told #Turkey’s #Erdogan of his intentions by phone on Friday last week.

Coming in the context of Turkish threats to intervene in NE #Syria, the message to the #YPG/#SDF couldn’t be any worse. The US will abandon “the Kurds” again, if #Trump gets his way here.

#pt: Worse still, this’ll be music to the ears of #ISIS, #Assad, #Russia & #Iran.

#Trump isn’t only doing what #Obama did in leaving #Iraq prematurely, he’s doing it in an environment in which #America’s adversaries will benefit: jihadis, #Iran and #Russia.

Unbelievable hubris.

This makes it look official - #Trump is resisting pressure from DOD-NSC-State.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1075397797929775105

I cannot stress enough how naive this decision will prove to be. Everything the U.S. has fought for in #Syria will have been wasted.

We'll be back in a few years, at most.

#ISIS is *not* defeated in #Syria.

In fact, U.S. intelligence assessed in Aug 2018 that 14,500 #ISIS fighters remains in #Syria

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/1029012177284485120

Whether you believe those numbers or not, that's the intelligence that #Trump has on his desk.

And yet he declares victory?

#Trump's personal decision to leave #Syria -- yes, this is #Trump alone; his NATSEC principals vehemently disagree -- will be a big test of POTUS' relationship w. the GOP foreign policy establishment.

This will empower #Iran, #Russia & #ISIS - it will not be popular internally.

Roughly 10mins before #Trump's "mission accomplished" tweet, #ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack... in... #Raqqa... in #Syria.

That's where U.S. troops & USAID/State personnel are deployed.

To most people, this will look like "withdrawal," not "victory."

[via @azelin]

@azelin .@realDonaldTrump in Aug 2016:

- "President #Obama... he is the creator... he founded #ISIS"



Well congratulations Mr. President, you just paved an even worse path than #Obama did in his premature withdrawal from #Iraq. Bravo.

@azelin @realDonaldTrump The #Trump administration has x3 core objectives in #Syria:

1. The enduring defeat of #ISIS
2. Removal of all Iranian forces
3. Irreversible political settlement

All 3 just became null & void.

@azelin @realDonaldTrump Some U.S. troops are already on their way home from #Syria, per new @PressSec statement (below).

New confirmation from @reuters now that all @StateDept personnel will be leaving within 24hrs.