U.S. announces Syria troop pull-out

U.S. announces Syria troop pull-out

News:

Trump orders US troops out of Syria, declares victory over ISIS

Important Facts:

  • Civil war in Syria has already caused catastrophic damage. More than 465,000 Syrians have been killed, 1 million have been injured and more than half the country’s population have been forced to flee their homes
  • In December 2018, Trump administration ordered withdrawal of U.S troops from Syria immediately. Trump said the troops had accomplished their mission in Syria by defeating the Islamic State. But many experts say the militant group is far from beaten.
  • A complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria would still leave a sizeable U.S. military presence in the region, including about 5,200 troops across the border in Iraq.

How did the war in Syria start?

  • In March 2011, peaceful protests broke out in the country as part of the Arab Spring uprisings.
  • Organizers called on Assad to undertake democratic reforms, but his government responded with violence. Some of the protesters then teamed up with military defectors to form the Free Syrian Army, which sought to overthrow the government.
  • By 2012, this armed struggle had devolved into a full-blown civil war.

How was United States involved into the war?

  • The United States has been reluctant to become too entangled in Syria, but it has acted for two main reasons.
    • First, the Islamic State militant group began gaining a foothold in the country in 2013. The next year, the United States launched airstrikes against the group.
    • It eventually sent ground troops into the fight, and about 2,000 U.S. forces are now deployed there.
    • Second, the United States has acted to punish the Assad government for using chemical weapons such as sarin and chlorine gas on civilians.

What is the role of Russia in Syria war?

  • Russia has long supported Assad’s government. According to scholar, Russia helped build the modern Syrian military, and Assad is one of Russian’s strongest allies in the Middle East.
  • Russia has often blocked meaningful international action on Syria by vetoing proposals in the U.N. Security Council, and Moscow changed the course of the war in Assad’s favor by beginning a military intervention in 2015.

Who are the key regional players helping Assad?

  • One of Assad’s key allies is Iran. Iran needs Syria to move its weapons and proxy militias across the Middle East. So when Assad seemed threatened, Iran stepped in to support him.
  • That upset Iran’s rivals in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Turkey. So they began sending arms and money to anti-Assad rebels, including extremist militias.
  • Today, many wars are being fought inside Syria. The Syrian government is still at war with the rebels. Israel is at war with Iranian-backed forces. And the United States is trying to kill off the Islamic State.
  • There is another conflict, too. Syria is home to a significant number of Kurds, a key U.S. ally. Turkey fears that the Kurds aim to establish a separate state and has been bombing Syrian cities under Kurdish control.

Concern Remain:

  • Syrian families do not have basic necessities, such as food, shelter and medical care. Children cannot go to school. The war is being fought in towns and on the streets.
  • The move plunged U.S. allies into uncertainty and created the potential for greater regional instability
  • There are also fears a US withdrawal will cede influence in Syria and the wider region to Russia and Iran.
  • Meanwhile, Israel has been carrying out strikes on Syrian military bases and other facilities on its own.
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