The policy to leave US troops in post-IS Syria was devised under the auspices of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as Trump administration officials saw in the country’s stalemated battlefield an opportunity to deny Russia and Iran — Assad’s main foreign backers — a clean victory in the region.
Trump sought repeatedly to undo the policy and pull US forces from the country, citing what he called “endless war.” Top advisers pushed back on those orders, however. Outrage from some US officials over Turkey’s attacks against Kurdish-led forces amid Trump’s October 2019 withdrawal order led the former president to reverse his decision.
Biden administration officials have indicated US troops are not leaving Syria anytime soon and have added new sanctions on the Assad regime. Washington continues to insist the regime implement reforms in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 calling for free and fair elections in Syria.
One of President Trump’s greatest foreign policy blunders was his failure to get our troops out of Syria. But he tried.