Very recent reports on the ground that US forces have withdrawn from Syria to western Iraq.
(Nothing confirmed from MSM as of yet, but reports of this kind have been accurate in the past.) There is video of helicopters flying away and the Kurds sure as hell don’t have helicopters
Here’s a report from the NYPost from Saturday evening on the, at the time, impending withdrawal.
NYPost: Kurdish fighters move away from border as US troops withdraw
Here’s a choice bit:
Defense Secretary Mark Esper, meanwhile, said US troops were continuing their withdrawal from northern Syria, and that no US ground troops would participate in enforcing the cease-fire that Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday in Ankara.
Nice.
A bunch of the US forces had been parked in the south west of Iraq between Assad controlled territory and oil wells that Assad obviously covets. Not sure what they were accomplishing if they were only going to block his movements for a couple days besides irritating him, but I assume that they had some reason.
It’s been really tough to watch the US movements and not think of what @Gunfighter 09 said about feeling bad for the people at CENTCOM who have to plan for so many bizarre almost contradictory situations.
In that vein, there’s starting to be rumbles from European governments beyond just shock surprise to wondering what to do about ISIS now that the US is out.