Thread by @Charles_Lister

That “1000” is, roughly, the entire US presence in #Syria.

What does “northern #Syria” mean? Are they being drawn down to Deir ez Zour? Are we seeing an Arab-focused last chance strategy in slow formation?

https://twitter.com/facethenation/status/1183355409362554880

The U.S. withdrawal from #Syria is underway, as directed overnight by #Trump & supported by @DeptofDefense.

As I wrote a few days ago, opening the doors to #Turkey put the writing on the wall.

- "Making America Great Again” has never sounded so vapid."

mei.edu/blog/trump-pav…

@DeptofDefense HUGE developments in north #Syria, as the #SDF agrees a de facto surrender deal w. the #Assad regime, in return for a #Russia-backed #SAA move to block #Turkey's advances.

Looks like #Manbij, #Kobani, #Qamishli & possibly #Raqqa are all included in this agreement.

#SAA moving.

#pt: The consequences of #Trump's (1) betrayal of the #SDF & (2) detonation of northern #Syria into brutal & likely intractable conflict will be felt for a LONG time to come.

#Syria was primed for instability already, but this has the potential to outweigh the cost of #Iraq '03.

- First things 1st, #Trump killed #America's #Syria policy. He stabbed it in the back in Dec '18 & tied its noose in Oct '19.

- BUT the seeds for this disaster were sown by the #Obama admin, which blindly & single-mindedly pursued a policy that made this humiliation inevitable.

#pts: Now we're watching a spiral of chaos:

1. US "rapidly" leaving #Syria

2. #Turkey on a brutal ethnic-driven campaign, fueling...

3. A generation+ of Arab-Kurdish hostilities.

4. #SDF surrendering to #Assad...

5. Paving the way for renewed Kurdish oppression.

6. = WarS

#pt: As I wrote a week ago (here:

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/1181218523114278912

), #Trump has literally gifted #ISIS the gift of rebirth:

- (1) Multiple new conflict fronts, (2) ethnic & sectarian hostilities; (3) return of #Assad; (4) US humiliation... #Baghdadi couldn't have written this any better.

In my latest @aawsat_News OpEd, published today, I argue that by green-lighting #Turkey, #Trump has opened a hornets nest in N. #Syria.

Chaos will reign & only bad actors (#Assad, #ISIS, #Russia, #Iran) look set to gain.

#Trump did this. Allies beware.

https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/1183450818290290690

“It’s only a matter of time before a full #American withdrawal from #Syria is realized & #America’s ability to have a meaningful say in any aspect of the #Syrian crisis is dealt a mortal blow.”

My article from a week ago has come horribly true. Very bad.

mei.edu/blog/trump-pav…

If it hasn’t occurred to you yet, here’s another implication of #America’s rapid withdrawal from #Syria & the #SDF’s deal w. #Assad:

- 11,000 #ISIS detainees & 10,000s of #ISIS family members will fall under #Damascus’ authority.

To those familiar w. history, that’s terrifying.