US President Donald Trump has announced his decision to “immediately and rapidly” withdraw US forces from Syria.
President Trump made the surprise announcement on Wednesday night and has been attacked by both hawkish democrats and neo-con republicans who still wish to see the Syrian regime toppled.
The troops were deployed under Obama to gain a foothold in Northern Syria as well as arm and train rebels fighting both I.S and the Syrian government.
This proved disastrous however, as most the rebels either proved to be either ineffective or have links to radical Islamic terror groups themselves. President Trump changed this strategy to one of simply destroying I.S and its affiliates.
With the terrorist group essentially defeated on the ground and the Syrian government, with Russian support, now back in control of most of the country President Trump has decided its time for US forces to come home.
President Trump had campaigned on an anti-war platform and has spoke of vociferously against militaristic adventures and foreign intervention. He was most vocal against the Iraq War when he penned an op-ed calling for then President Bush to be impeached.
National defence rather than foreign intervention and nation building has long been touted by President Trump as the correct path for the US.