INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Donald Trump reiterated his stance on US exiting Syria, leading to frustration from his security advisersIn his first Cabinet meeting of
year, President Donald Trump stuck a dagger in a major initiative advanced by his foreign policy team: Iran's leaders, president said, "can
do what they want" in Syria.With a stray remark, Trump snuffed out a plan from his national security adviser, John Bolton, who this fall
vowed that United States would not leave Syria "as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders."The president's statement offered
latest illustration of dramatic gyrations that have characterized his foreign policy and fueled questions about whether his senior advisers
are implementing his policies or pursuing their own agendas.The president's order last month to withdraw troops from Syria, which prompted
resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, had already exposed a stark gap between Bolton's plan to use country as a theater to push back
against Iran and president's eagerness to wash his hands of war.Critics say shifting plan, which has rattled key U.S
allies, will embolden Russia and Iran, Syrian government's main foreign supporters
It also sets stage for a confrontation between NATO ally Turkey and Kurdish-dominated Syrian forces that have been chief U.S
partner against Islamic State.An Iran-centric plan, that John Bolton (pictured here) and Mike Pompeo unveiled earlier, is absent from
discussions in Washington, say US officials familiar with Syria policy (AFP)Trump, during wide-ranging comments alongside Cabinet officials
Wednesday, reiterated his intent to exit Syria as military officials scrambled to arrange a departure for more than 2,000 troops there.On
Thursday, Bolton discussed plans to hand Islamic State mission over to Turkish forces with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense
Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Gen
Joseph Dunford, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a meeting at Pentagon.Military officials have voiced deep reservations about speedy
departure at a moment when extremists, though severely weakened, remain a potent threat, and when Turkey continues to prioritize its fight
against U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which it considers part of a Kurdish terrorism group, over battle against Islamic
State.Senior officials are expected to gather at White House in coming days to decide what support United States might provide to Turkish
Early next week, Bolton and Dunford will visit Turkey to discuss transition plans with leaders there.Absent from discussions in Washington,
officials familiar with Syria policy said, is Iran-centric plan that Bolton and Pompeo unveiled in fall
Officials attributed that to fact that president never signed off on an expanded U.S
mission in Syria to counter Iran in first place."Defeating ISIS, which was once our primary focus, continues to be a top priority, but it
will now be joined by two other mutually reinforcing objectives," Mike Pompeo said in October (AFP)"That Iran strategy was never endorsed by
official, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive policy details.While Trump shares his advisers' combative
views on Iran, he has focused mainly on 2015 nuclear deal, which he pulled out of earlier this year
Pompeo and Bolton, meanwhile, have taken a broader view and advocated new actions to rein in Iran's support for proxy groups.Late last year,
some of president's hawkish advisers drafted a memo committing United States to a longer-term presence in Syria that included goals of an
enduring defeat of Islamic State, a political transition and expulsion of Iran, officials said
The president has not signed memo, which was presented to him weeks ago.In fact, Trump had warned his aides for months that he wanted out of
But Bolton and Pompeo, apparently believing like other officials across government that president had softened that demand, continued to
relay bold plans for country ahead of surprise withdrawal announcement."Defeating ISIS, which was once our primary focus, continues to be a
top priority, but it will now be joined by two other mutually reinforcing objectives," Pompeo said in October
"These include a peaceful and political resolution to Syrian conflict and removal of all Iranian and Iranian-backed forces from Syria."On
Thursday, Pompeo acknowledged that American forces were leaving but insisted that United States would continue its mission of countering
"The counter-Iran campaign continues," Pompeo told news outlet Newsmax
"We'll do all of those things
We will simply do it at a time when American forces have departed Syria."Robert Ford, a former U.S
ambassador to Syria, said a well-functioning National Security Council would typically straighten out dissonance between president's wishes
and those of Pentagon and State Department
In this case, Bolton continued to push forward despite conflicting views.President Donald Trump's order last month to withdraw troops from
Syria, prompted resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (File Photo)"Bolton got way out ahead of policy, and it's his job to understand
what president wants," said Ford, now a fellow at Middle East Institute
"When president is nervous or cautious about something, it's NSC's job to relay that back to State and Pentagon, and warn them not to go too
Apparently they didn't get message."Bolton, Trump's third national security adviser, has advanced steps in keeping with two men's shared
hostility to multilateral institutions like United Nations, but his expansive view on use of U.S
military power has appeared to conflict with president's instincts.A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said United
States would use "a range of tools of national power," including sanctions and diplomatic pressure, to continue pressing Tehran to pull its
forces out of Syria."Iran knows U.S
stands ready to re-engage at all levels to defend American interests," official said.Bolton's Iran plan never really took effect at
Pentagon, where officials were not officially tasked with any new mission in addition to operation against Islamic State
Military officials likewise viewed Iran's expansion into Syria as problematic, but they were skeptical about lack of a clear legal
justification that would be required for offensive military action against Iranian-backed forces.Military officials remain focused on
executing an orderly withdrawal of forces from a constellation of small facilities across Syria
While Trump had previously said troops would come home within 30 days, officials said they expect drawdown to occur within four months,
giving military time to break down its positions and remove sensitive equipment that might have to be destroyed in a more hurried
withdrawal.Although Trump has declared victory against Islamic State, airstrikes continue against militant forces in eastern Syria, where
several hundred extremists were killed in final weeks of December alone, according to Pentagon."We are continuing fight against ISIS with
our partners in Syria," a defense official said, using an acronym for Islamic State.But officials noted that preparing for a departure will
become troops' top priority, meaning they will be able to provide less support to SDF even as it continues to battle Islamic State.Officials
at Pentagon and State Department are also intensely skeptical that Turkey will deliver on what White House has said is a promise to hunt
down what remains of Islamic State
Doing so would require moving Turkish military forces into areas now dominated by Kurdish SDF, its sworn enemy.The SDF, meanwhile, might
seek to forge an alliance with Syrian government, potentially strengthening Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
departure could also undermine long-standing goal of forcing a political transition in Syria - let alone seeking to extinguish Islamic State
and reining in Iran at same time."Doing all that with 2,000 U.S
