US national security adviser: The withdrawal of our troops from Syria will not be without an agreement to protect the Kurds

by **claud39** Sun Jan 06, 2019 10:43 am

http://www.ikhnews.com/index.php?page=article&id=180756

US national security adviser: The withdrawal of our troops from Syria will not be without an agreement to protect the Kurds

06-01-2019

US national security adviser: The withdrawal of our troops from Syria will not be without an agreement to protect the Kurds Image

Baghdad:

US National Security Adviser John Bolton has pledged to implement the decision to withdraw US troops from Syria by destroying the Islamic state's organization and protecting the Kurds, stressing that any Turkish military operation must be coordinated with Washington.

Bolton said on Sunday in a press conference in Jerusalem before his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his country will withdraw from Syria but will protect its troops during the withdrawal period, adding that President Donald Trump wants to destroy the 'succession Khaddash', in reference to the state organization, which still resists in pockets Small river east of the Euphrates River in Syria.

He said there was no timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from northeastern Syria of about 2,000 troops. A US official spoke a few days ago about a four-month deadline for full withdrawal, but President Trump later denied he had set a time limit for implementing the plan.

The US national security adviser also said that President Trump confirmed that the US withdrawal from Syria would not be without an agreement to protect the Kurds, referring to the Kurdish people's protection units that control large areas northeast of Syria, and Turkey threatens a military operation to expel Kurdish forces from the cities and towns of East Euphrates Such as the city of Manbeg in the north-eastern Aleppo countryside.

But Bolton said Washington did not want Turkey to act militarily in Syria except in full coordination with it.

The US official said he would discuss withdrawing US troops from Syria when he visits Israel and Turkey.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his talks with the US national security adviser include the situation in Syria following President Trump's decision to withdraw from it.

Netanyahu described Bolton as Israel's old friend and said he would discuss with him efforts to stem what he called Iranian aggression in the region.