President Trump’s decision to leave Syria prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis and a continuing rear-guard bureaucratic action to limit or reverse the president’s decision.
First, there was the report that 400 troops would stay. Then there was the report that the U.S. would stay in the eastern Syria border town of El-Tanf to “keep an eye on Iranians.” Now comes a Wall Street Journal report that 1,000 troops will stay to support Kurdish fighters in the north.
The Journal story was immediately denied by Gen. Joseph Dunford, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who described the story as “factually incorrect.” “There has been no change to the plan announced in February and we continue to implement the president’s direction to draw down U.S. forces to a residual presence,” Dunford said in a statement reported by CNN.
What’s going on? With an absent-minded president, factions within his government are striving to shape his orders to their ends. If the U.S. does a complete withdrawal, as Dunford says, the Iranians and Syrians will claim victory. The hawks in the administration and the Defense Department want to prevent that.
On the other hand, generals prefer clear orders and winnable missions, neither of which the Trump White House is offering. So the power struggle continues.
