US military ops in Syria getting complicated for Washington, france24.com

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The Pentagon is facing tough questions about the US military’s role in Syria. Troops are now limited to a smaller, tougher to defend zone, and focused on protecting oil fields that legally belong to Damascus. The following is a look at the key factors in play:

– A retreat in name only –

On October 6, US President Donald Trump announced that the 1,000 soldiers deployed in northeast Syria to fight the Islamic State jihadist group would pull back.”It is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home,” he tweeted.

But a month later, the United States has more or less the same number of personnel on the ground. […]

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the US Congress authorized the executive branch to conduct unlimited military operations to combat terrorism. The Pentagon is using that authorization as the basis for taking control of the Syrian oil fields. When asked by a journalist if the United States was stealing Syrian oil, Hoffman replied: ”The revenue from this is not going to the US. This is going to the SDF.” Läs artikel

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