INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Donald Trump tweeted he didn't know the name of US anti-ISIS officer Brett McGurkIn a May 2017 Pentagon briefing, Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis was flanked by perhaps the two most important U.S
officials coordinating the fight against the Islamic State.One was Gen
Joseph Dunford., chairman of the Joint Chiefs.The other one was Brett McGurk, a State Department official whom Mattis introduced as
"President Trump's special envoy" to the coalition battling the militant group.McGurk was tasked with coordinating international efforts,
from NATO allies to militia groups, in the effort against Islamic State militants in the region.But in the midst of his resignation to
protest President Donald Trump's sudden decision to pull out about 2,000 troops from Syria, McGurk himself was somehow overlooked by Trump,
according to the president."Brett McGurk, who I do not know, was appointed by President Obama in 2015," Trump said Saturday on Twitter
"Was supposed to leave in February but he just resigned prior to leaving
Grandstander The Fake News is making such a big deal about this nothing event!"On Monday, The Post's John Hudson reported that McGurk never
briefed or talked to Trump
McGurk was scheduled to leave in February, making his instant resignation symbolic.Trump's tweet raised questions about his awareness of or
interest in the intricate policies surrounding one of his cornerstone campaign promises - the defeat of the Islamic State, in which McGurk
played a central role in Washington, Baghdad and elsewhere."It's almost certainly true the president has, in fact, met Brett McGurk," a
former senior defense official who worked closely with McGurk told The Washington Post
Having not done so, the former official said, "would be an indictment of the president himself had he not met the individual coordinating
the international coalition against the Islamic State."White House press secretary Sarah Sanders did not respond to a request for comment
about whether and when Trump was briefed by McGurk himself or whether Trump was provided reports or briefings prepared by the envoy.The
State Department replied to a request for comment with a message saying the press office was operating in a "reduced status" because of the
government shutdown.The fallout over McGurk's departure and the Syria withdrawal brought sharp rebukes from former officials and some
"Why don't you know the man who has done more than any civilian to degrade ISIS" Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's national security
ambassador, wrote on Twitter.McGurk has been described by current and former officials as tirelessly dedicated and respected by militia
commanders and ambassadors alike, and his commanding expertise was sought and deferred to within the U.S
His involvement at high levels in government and diplomatic circles signaled a trusted presence in the coalition since his appointment as
envoy by Obama.Brett McGurk, left, at the Pentagon in May 2017.His work in the Middle East started under President George W
Bush and spanned three administrations
That experience is perhaps without equal, Derek Chollet, a former U.S
assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration, told The Post."George W
Bush and Barack Obama knew and respected Brett and considered him one of their most important advisers," Chollet said
Trump has shown evidence of disengagement from policy and a disregard for expertise, he said, "and it's very telling that Donald Trump
claims to have never heard of him."McGurk was a chief architect of Bush's troop surge in Iraq and had a senior role in negotiating the 2011
withdrawal from Iraq for Obama
That experience carved out trust with Iraqi leaders, Chollet said, which spurred several postings that eventually led to the envoy
appointment.In the Syria campaign, he was the driving force behind the creation of the Syrian Democratic Forces
His tenacity and personal touch in building relationships served the counter-Islamic State effort well, colleagues told The Post.McGurk met
face-to-face with Kurdish and Arab leaders of the SDF and was a continual presence in Baghdad and Irbil, the capital of the autonomous
Kurdish region in northern Iraq, becoming the most recognizable American official in the country at a time when an Islamic State blitz
threatened both capitals.Aside from Mattis's resignation, the most significant factor in McGurk's decision was an inability to reconcile the
president's decision with his experience as the U.S
diplomat who "spent time with the guys on the ground who have been fighting and dying," including Kurdish fighters in Syria, said an
official familiar with his views
"To just suddenly, in one split second" have to tell them the United States was leaving "is hard to face."Robert Ford, the former ambassador
to Syria who worked closely with McGurk, told The Post he agreed with Trump's decision but said the National Security Council did a "lousy
job" articulating Trump's desire to leave Syria after largely eradicating the Islamic State, though fighters remain.Earlier this month,
McGurk said in a briefing that defeating the physical caliphate is just one phase of a "much longer campaign."In that way, McGurk got ahead
of Trump, said Ford, who is now a fellow at the Middle East Institute and Yale University."I think there's a problem in this system if Brett
doesn't understand what the president's cautions and policy preferences are," Ford said.On Monday, Trump recalled some details about McGurk,
only to attack him.It is unclear how the United States will manage its military presence in Syria in the coming weeks and months or whether
Special Operations troops will assume a greater role in flushing out remaining pockets of militants there.The U.S
military may also keep supplying SDF forces and launch airstrikes against Islamic State fighters - efforts that would probably be
complicated by a reduced American presence.But any action that requires partner forces risking their lives may be viewed with skepticism
after the fallout with McGurk, said the former senior defense official who worked with him."Our commitment is only as good as the
president's next tweet," the former official said.On Monday, Trump apparently recalled McGurk, and then attacked him.- - -The Washington
Post's John Hudson, Ellen Nakashima and Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by
TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
