Donald Trump's decision to pull US forces out of Syria will lead to a revival of Islamic State in the country, Syrian rebels have warned.

The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, said the move had "dangerous implications" for stability, would "negatively affect the campaign against terrorism" and create "a political and military vacuum".

Mr Trump has responded to widespread criticism of his decision by asserting that the US is funding global battles while other powers are not contributing.

The US president claimed Russia, Iran, Syria and other Middle East states are the "local enemy" of IS, adding that "we were doing their work".

Image: Donald Trump has decided to pull US forces out of Syria

He tweeted: "Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing?


"Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight."

A US official has said all 2,000 American troops will leave the country within 60 to 100 days.

Image: US forces and SDF fighting IS in eastern Syria in December 2018

Mr Trump's surprise announcement on Wednesday's rattled Washington's main ally in Syria, which has led the ground battle against IS in the country.

Commanders and fighters in northern Syria gathered to discuss their response late into the night.

Arin Sheikmos, a Kurdish journalist and commentator, said: "We have every right to be afraid."

Image: A pro-Turkish Syrian fighter inspects the aftermath of an explosion in the northern Syrian city of Afrin

UK defence minister Tobias Ellwood was quick to say he "strongly disagreed" with the US withdrawal from Syria, saying IS had "morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive".

Republican senator and Trump ally Lindsey Graham agreed, calling the move a "big win for ISIS, Iran, Bashar al Assad of Syria and Russia".

Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing? Do we want to be there forever? Time for others to finally fight..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

This morning, the leaders of Iran and Turkey met for talks in Ankara, with Syria likely to have been top of the agenda.

While some US allies have been dismayed by news of the withdrawal, Turkey has expressed delight.

Ankara sees the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), another US-backed Kurdish militia, as a "terrorist offshoot" of Kurdish insurgents inside Turkey.

Image: An SDF fighter at the funeral a colleague in northeastern Syria in December 2018

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday: "When the time and place comes, they (the YPG) will be buried in the pits they dig."

Hundreds of thousands of people have died in Syria's seven-year civil war and around 11 million people, about half of the country's pre-war population, have been displaced.