Trump Says Erdogan Promised to Eradicate Remaining ISIS in Syria

Donald Trump wrote on his Twitter account that the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "strongly informed him" that he would "root out the remnants of ISIS in Syria." This new tweet from the U.S. President comes after the announcement of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, the "critical" resignation of James Mattis, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and increasing reactions to Trump's decision and Mattis's resignation. Trump has stated that he wants to have a Secretary of Defense who aligns with his views. In the past two days, Trump has referenced Syria and recent events in several other posts on his Twitter account, criticizing media outlets that he claims are spreading "fake news" and have made him a "target of severe attacks." Trump defended his decision to withdraw from Syria following two resignations and negative reactions. He even changed the date of Mattis's departure from the Defense Department, which was supposed to be in February, to January 1. On December 24, Trump tweeted: "The President of Turkey, [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, strongly informed me that he will eradicate whatever remains of ISIS in Syria... and he is a man who can do it. Besides, Turkey is right next door." Trump reiterated that "our soldiers are coming home." Just hours before this post, Erdogan announced on his Twitter that he had a phone conversation with Trump and that both sides agreed to increase their cooperation on various issues, from trade to the Syrian issue. The day before, Trump also tweeted that "now that ISIS has been largely defeated, regional countries, including Turkey, will easily be able to deal with the remnants of it. We are coming home." On Sunday, media outlets reported, citing a U.S. Defense Department source, that "the executive order for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria has been signed." U.S. forces were deployed to Syria in 2015 to combat ISIS. The U.S. is also leading a coalition in the fight against ISIS. According to various reports, between 2,000 to 2,600 U.S. soldiers and personnel are present in Syria. They have specifically been helping, training, and accompanying militias like the "Syrian Democratic Forces" in battles against the Islamic State group. The core of the Syrian Democratic Forces consists of Kurdish militants from the "People's Protection Units," which the Turkish government considers "terrorists." The U.S. has so far refrained from acknowledging this and has described these militants as some of the most important ground forces in the battles against the "Islamic State." However, the status of this group in the coming weeks is uncertain. Fox News also reported yesterday that it is unclear whether weapons and military equipment will continue to be sent to groups like the "Syrian Democratic Forces."