Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Sunday to prevent a power vacuum in Syria after US ground forces withdraw, in a phone conversation days after the US president shocked global partners by announcing Americans would leave the war-scarred country.

Turkey was a rare ally that lauded Trump's momentous decision to pull the 2,000 US troops out of Syria, where they have been helping assisting in a multinational fight against IS.

"The two leaders agreed to ensure coordination between their countries' military, diplomatic and other officials to avoid a power vacuum which could result following any abuse of the withdrawal and transition phase in Syria," the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

Hours earlier Trump had tweeted that he and Erdogan "discussed ISIS, our mutual involvement in Syria, & the slow & highly coordinated pullout of U.S. troops from the area."

Erdogan tweeted shortly thereafter, saying the two leaders "agreed to increase coordination on many issues including trade relations and the developments in Syria," dubbing the call "productive."

US troops will leave under the auspices of a new Pentagon chief set to start next month, after Jim Mattis resigned from the post citing key differences, including on Syria, with the often-impulsive Trump.

An American exit would allow Turkish troops to move against Kurdish fighters in Syria who have played a key role in the war against IS but are deemed terrorists by Ankara.

Many US politicians and international allies fear the withdrawal is premature and would further destabilize the already devastated region.

A US withdrawal, said Mutlu Civiroglu, a Kurdish affairs analyst, will open the way "for Turkey to start its operations against the Kurds, and a bloody war will begin."

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said he "deeply regretted" Trump's decision, and that "an ally must be reliable."

Several US politicians from both parties rejected Trump's claim that IS had been defeated, and many in the US military expressed alarm and dismay at the thought of suddenly abandoning Washington's Kurdish partners.

And Trump's sudden decision sparked turmoil within his administration, prompting the resignation of Mattis as well as of Brett McGurk, the special envoy to the anti-IS coalition.

- New Pentagon chief -

Plans for the troop withdrawal will now be overseen by Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who Trump on Sunday said would replace Mattis starting January 1.

Mattis, 68, had said he would leave at the end of February to allow a smooth transition for the next chief of the world's top military power -- but a reportedly angry Trump accelerated his departure by two months.

Defense spokeswoman Dana White tweeted that Mattis would still assist in the handover, working with Shanahan to ensure the department "remains focused on the defense of our nation during this transition."

According to US media, the Republican leader voiced resentment over news coverage of Mattis' stinging resignation letter that laid bare his fundamental disagreements with the president.

"Because you have the right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours," Mattis said in the letter, "I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues," wrote Mattis, a decorated former general.

Days later, special envoy McGurk made a similar move, saying he could not support Trump's Syria decision that he said "left our coalition partners confused and our fighting partners bewildered."

Unlike Mattis, Shanahan has never served in the military and has spent most of his career in the private sector.

He spent over three decades working for aircraft giant Boeing, including as vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems, before moving to the Pentagon as deputy in 2017.

Until Trump finds a permanent defense leader, Shanahan will lead plans for US troops to leave Syria along with a significant drawdown in Afghanistan, both of which critics worry will leave war-torn regions at risk of continued and potentially heightened bloodshed.

Mick Mulvaney, who will soon leave his post as White House budget director to serve as Trump's chief of staff, told ABC on Sunday Trump will not change his mind about the withdrawal, despite this week's protest resignations.

"I think the president has told people from the very beginning that he doesn't want us to stay in Syria forever. You're seeing the end result now of two years' worth of work."

Trump decided on Syria troop pullout during Erdogan call: report
Ankara (AFP) Dec 21, 2018 - US President Donald Trump made the shock decision to withdraw troops from Syria during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart who said Turkey could clear the remaining jihadists from the country, media reported Friday.

Trump stunned officials and allies on Wednesday with the decision to pull out 2,000 American ground forces, claiming the Islamic State extremist group (IS) had been "beaten" in Syria.

Trump's move came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch an operation against a Kurdish militia that is fighting against IS with American military assistance.

Erdogan and Trump spoke on the phone on Friday and during the conversation Trump told his national security adviser John Bolton to "start the work" to prepare withdrawing troops from Syria, according to Hurriyet daily.

The Turkish newspaper said that Trump's order to Bolton came after he asked Erdogan if Turkey would "clean up the remaining Daesh (IS) elements if we withdrew from Syria".

Erdogan reportedly told Trump that Turkey had cleared IS during its first military operation in northern Syria between 2016 and 2017 and could do so again. Trump replied by telling him to go ahead and do it.

Relations between NATO allies Ankara and Washington have been strained over the US presence in Syria providing training to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance.

Last week Erdogan said Ankara would start an offensive against the YPG in the "next few days" in the east of the Euphrates where there are American forces with the SDF.

The PKK is proscribed as a terror group by Ankara, the US and the European Union.

US-Turkey ties have warmed up since Turkey released a jailed American pastor in October.

Related Links
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Trump pulls back from Middle East as Putin rejoices
Washington (AFP) Dec 20, 2018
President Donald Trump vowed Thursday that the United States would no longer be the "policeman of the Middle East" as he ordered troops back from Syria, delighting Russian President Vladimir Putin as US allies voiced unease. Doubling down on his surprise declaration by Twitter of victory over the Islamic State group a day earlier, the US leader both boasted of commanding the world's most powerful military and said that others should lead the fighting. "Does the USA want to be the Policeman of t ... read more