U.S. troops in Syria

Trump hints that he's done with U.S. troops in Syria

By DAVID BROWN

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. has defeated the Islamic State in Syria, amid reports that the administration is planning to pull all 2,000 U.S. troops from the country.

“We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” Trump tweeted Wednesday.

The declaration comes four days after coalition spokesman Col. Sean Ryan said the terror group has reached its “end of days,” but added that “they still have the capability for coordinated attacks, and the fight is not over.”

A withdrawal plan would make good on Trump’s earlier promise to pull troops from Syria, and comes after Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone last week.

U.S. troops are aiding Syrian Democratic Forces in the fight against ISIS. Those forces included Kurdish fighters, whom Turkey considers terrorists.

The Pentagon on Wednesday would not confirm reports that U.S. troops were being pulled. "At this time, we continue to work by, with and through our partners in the region." spokesman Col. Rob Manning said.