US mulls changes to Syrian withdrawal, amid continued uncertainty

Some two weeks after the White House first announced it was withdrawing US troops from northeast Syria, President Donald Trump said on Monday that a limited number of US forces would remain to help secure the oilfields there.

The announcement followed four days after the conclusion on Thursday of a 120-hour ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which was mediated by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The ceasefire expires on Tuesday.

On Monday, in remarks at a cabinet meeting, Trump claimed we have “very good news,” as he affirmed “the ceasefire is holding,” and “the Kurds are moving out to safer areas.”

However, there are serious questions as to how long that will last.

Read the full story and more in Kurdistan 24.