WATCH:

President Donald Trump announced earlier this month his intention to pull the troops out of Syria, claiming that ISIS has been defeated.

But, as Retired Brigadier General Anthony Tata points out, Trump wouldn’t even need to make that call had President Barack Obama not pulled troops from Iraq around 2011, the time of the Arab Spring.

ISIS was able to conquer two-thirds of Iraq and Syria without the troops there in only a year and a half. (RELATED: Kurds Expected America To Stay In Syria ‘Forever’ But Trump Had Other Plans)

As Tata explains, the Obama Administration opted to put their heads in the sand as ISIS started to form and gain territory, which allowed them to grow until it was no longer something that could be ignored.

Trump’s decision to pull the troops from Syria came about two weeks ago and he explained his decision on Twitter.

He tweeted, “Getting out of Syria was no surprise. I’ve been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer. Russia, Iran, Syria & others are the local enemy of ISIS. We were doing there work. Time to come home & rebuild.”

Check out The Daily Caller’s YouTube page!

Follow Mike on Twitter