He brings the troops home - with this justification Donald Trump had recently underpinned the surprising withdrawal of all US units from northern Syria. Now, another massive course change in the American Syria tactic seems to be emerging. As several US media report in unison, the Pentagon plans to send additional military forces to protect the oil fields in eastern Syria.
And it seems to go to no negligible number of troops. Newsweek magazine, citing a Pentagon official, said the Department of Defense wanted to send up to 30 "Abrams" tanks and additional soldiers to protect the oil fields to eastern Syria. The White House still had to agree to the plans. CNN reports, however, that the plan should be implemented "relatively quickly".
Implication of US tanks to Syria; more troops, supply lines, sustainment, aircover. Tanks use huge amounts of fuel. Its for protection US troops against ISIS (which does not have tanks) and regime / Russia maybe Turks who do .... so ....
- Barbara Starr (@barbarastarrcnn) 24 October 2019The troop movement is designed to prevent the controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) oil fields again to the terrorist militia "Islamic State" (IS) or "other destabilizing actors," said a representative of the Pentagon on Thursday (local time).
From a deduction can be no more speech
The exact number of soldiers is unknown. But if really 30 tanks should be laid, they need a considerable infrastructure on site. The vehicles must be protected, refueled and maintained. In addition, it is unlikely that the US will relocate tanks without providing air support. According to estimates by various US media, the number of soldiers needed could be greater than the roughly 1,000 troops withdrawn from the north, many of them special forces. Trump's argument of retrieving the US troops and a total withdrawal could therefore hardly apply.
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The planned reinforcement will be "in coordination with our SDF partners," said the Pentagon representative. The conquest of the oil fields from the IS had been one of the most important achievements in the fight against the terrorist militia.
The goal is to keep the IS, the Syrian government, Iran and allied militia from the oil fields. The US broadcaster Fox News reported that the additional forces would come from a unit that is already stationed in the Middle East.
Republican Lindsay Graham, one of the harsher critics of Trump's latest deductions, said after a briefing with top military officials, "There's a plan in the works that supports our core interests in Syria."
Trump: US wants to protect the oil
President Trump had withdrawn the US troops in Syria from the border region to Turkey just under three weeks ago. Turkey then launched an offensive against the Kurdish militia YPG. The YPG are the dominant force in the SDF and were US allies in the fight against IS. Following the withdrawal of the YPG from part of the Syrian border with Turkey, Trump announced on Wednesday that Ankara would end the offensive.
On Wednesday, Trump said that initially "a small number" of US troops would stay with the oil fields. The US would protect the oil, "and we will decide in the future what we will do with it". On Thursday, he wrote on Twitter, he would never allow the IS seizes again the oil fields. In another tweet he wrote: "Maybe it's time for the Kurds to make their way to the oil region!"
