"The U.S. military began the process of withdrawing its troops from Syria following a drawdown ordered by President Donald Trump, a military official said Friday.

Col. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the U.S.-coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, declined to discuss specific operational details of the pullout such as timings and troop movements, but said in an email the withdrawal was underway.

About 2,000 U.S. troops are in Syria.

The development comes as White House national security adviser John Bolton appeared to contradict Trump's order when he said the withdrawal would not be immediate, it would not happen before ISIS is fully defeated and it would be contingent on a pledge by Turkey not to attack the U.S.'s Kurdish military allies in Syria.

None of Bolton's conditions have been met." usatoday

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My guess is that Erdogan called Trump and asked him if he or Bolton is running US foreign policy.

Bolton, Pompeo (first in his class), and Jeffrey are still running around sounding off in pursuit of their neocon dream of a world run by the US, but it seems likely that Trump has abandoned them. Pompeo said in Cairo that the US is a force for good in the ME? How? Where? I have dealt with the ME in government and business for 45 years and I have to delve deeply in my memories to find instance in which our well-meaning but clumsy efforts have not damaged the ME and the people who live there. USAID comes to mind. I remember the great re-build of the Alexandria, Egypt sewer and water system. That was a very good thing. On the other hand, think of the damage caused endlessly by the US's unquestioning support for Israel's aggressive policies and unwillingness to make any deal that is not completely weighted in their favor. Think of the death and destruction we have wrought in Iraq.

Trump is busy just now with the questions of the the US southern border and his political survival. The neocons may have thought that in this circumstance he would not interfere with their attempt to thwart his policy in Syria.

I wonder how he will deal with Kushner over this. pl

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/01/11/u-s-syria-troop-withdrawal/2545735002/