>Trump orders surprise Syria withdrawal
>12/19/2018 09:52 AM EST
>The White House said Wednesday that the U.S. and its allies have defeated the Islamic State in Syria and that some of the 2,000 U.S. troops battling the terrorist group will begin coming home, in a surprise move that drew a swift rebuke from key Republican hawks.
>“We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement, while also denying media reports that a full U.S. troop pullout was underway.
>“These victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign,” she added, saying U.S. forces will continue working “to deny radical Islamist terrorists territory, funding, support, and any means of infiltrating our borders."
>The statement followed through on a longtime pledge from President Donald Trump but also left key players in his administration scratching their heads. It capped off a morning of conflicting reports about the timing and extent of the withdrawal, along with apparent confusion between the Pentagon and the White House on the next moves.
>The decision also drew condemnation from leading members of Congress, who insisted the fight is far from over and that drawing back now could repeat mistakes of the past – and embolden both Iran and Russia, which have played a prominent role in Syria's long running civil war.