US to withdraw 1000 troops from Syria over next few weeks

The United States will withdraw about 1000 additional troops from Syria over the next few weeks, amid the ongoing military operation by Turkey on the Kurdish forces.

The move implies that Washington will have virtually pulled out all its troops from Syria within weeks, leaving behind a small garrison at Al Tanf located near the border with Jordan, USA Today reported, citing a US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

US President Donald Trump had earlier ordered a withdrawal of 50 US troops from the border dividing Turkey and Syria amid the possibility that a Turkish incursion was imminent.

The move cleared the way for a Turkish military incursion into a northern Syria border area aimed at rooting out the Kurdish forces that had been the key American-allied ground force helping to wrest territory from the Islamic State.

Trump has been criticised for his decision to pull back troops, with even Republican lawmakers harshly denouncing decision as a betrayal of the Kurds and a strategic blunder that will weaken American credibility and reverse gains against ISIS.