Trump Approves Full Withdrawal From Syria, 'Liberal' Media Furious

President Trump on Wednesday morning signaled that U.S. forces will soon fully withdraw from Syria, having completed their mission to defeat the Islamic State.

“We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” Mr. Trump tweeted.

We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018

The administration reportedly is in the planning stages to remove all of the 2,000 American forces currently stationed inside Syria, which has been devastated by a yearslong civil war and has become ground zero in a broad proxy war involving Israel, Iran, Turkey, Russia and other actors. In addition to the limited ground presence in Syria, the U.S. also has conducted air strikes against the Islamic State since 2014; from Dec. 9 to Dec. 15, for example, the U.S.-led coalition conducted more than 200 strikes in Syria, according to the Pentagon.

U.S.-backed Kurdish forces also are on the verge of capturing some of the final key areas held by the Islamic State east of the Euphrates River. Victory there would mark a decisive blow against the terrorist group.

Mr. Trump has vowed to bring U.S. forces home from Syria as soon as the fight against the Islamic State was over. Pentagon officials in recent months have stressed that the terrorist organization — which once controlled huge swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, and had vowed to build a “caliphate” in the region — has been territorially defeated.

Three separate reports including by the Pentagon Inspector General, by the United Nations and by ⁦@CSIS⁩ have estimated that ISIS still has between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters just in Iraq and Syria, but sure, let’s call the group “defeated.” #DejaVu https://t.co/6hDb4ilUIR

— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) December 19, 2018

If you defeated ISIS in Syria, why does the UN claim that there are still 20,000 - 30,000 ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq?

— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) December 19, 2018

What analysis has the President seen indicating that a Syria controlled by Putin, Khameni, and Assad won’t represent a direct threat to Americans and our interests? Not to mention the broader humanitarian message this sends nor the geo strategic impact.

— Sam Vinograd (@sam_vinograd) December 19, 2018

Did Turkey just stare down Trump in Syria? (More likely that a deal has been cut - perhaps one that will also see Erdogan stop talking about the Khashoggi murder...) https://t.co/yjqkTcJiph

— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) December 19, 2018

“ISIS has NOT been defeated,” says @SoccerMouaz of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. “I have no idea what the president is talking about.”

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 19, 2018

If the ISIS fight is over, no one has told ISIS. In #Raqqa last week sat with folks both working to keep pressure on ISIS and facing ISIS attack. NE #Syria is a story of fragile progress amid great challenge.

— Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (@gaylelemmon) December 19, 2018

Withdrawal of this small American force in Syria would be a huge Obama-like mistake. https://t.co/atsjHUyJlB

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 19, 2018

New statement from @PressSec confirms that the US is withdrawing troops from Syria and reiterates Trump's claim that "the United States has defeated the territorial caliphate" pic.twitter.com/zuwiQdw5ds

— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) December 19, 2018