Trump stuns allies by ordering US troops home from Syria

– Fate of Kurdish fighters? –

A large contingent of the main US-backed, anti-IS fighting force in Syria, an alliance known as the Syrian Democratic forces (SDF), is Kurdish. Turkey terms it a “terrorist” group.

Ankara has said it plans to launch an operation against the Kurdish militia known as the YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units).

While the YPG has spearheaded Washington’s fight against IS, US support has strained relations between the NATO allies.

The US decision to withdraw from Syria marks a remarkable development not just for the Kurds, but for years-old US doctrine in the region.

Only last week, Brett McGurk, the special envoy to defeat IS, said “nobody is declaring a mission accomplished.”

“If we’ve learned one thing over the years, enduring defeat of a group like (IS) means you can’t just defeat their physical space and then leave,” he said.

– ‘Short-sighted and naive’ –

A statement issued by the British government, which has long supported the anti-IS campaign in Syria, said “much remains to be done” against the jihadists.

“We must not lose sight of the threat they pose. Even without territory, (IS) will remain a threat,” the statement read.

Junior defence minister Tobias Ellwood was more blunt, retweeting a message from Trump that the jihadists had been defeated in Syria with the words: “I strongly disagree.

“It has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive.”

The Times newspaper on Thursday reported that Britain had not been informed of the decision before Trump announced it.

France said Thursday it will maintain its participation in the coalition fighting IS forces in Syria.

European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau said “the fight against terrorism is not over.”

A US presence in Syria is seen as key to pushing against Russian and Iranian influence. Pro-Iran militias have supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow in 2015 intervened in the conflict to prop him up.

Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, called the decision “extraordinarily short-sighted and naive.”

“This is not just a dream scenario for ISIS, but also for Russia, Iran and the Assad regime, all of whom stand to benefit substantially from a US withdrawal,” Lister said.