There is No Proof that the U.S. is actually Exiting Syria

In public appearances, Trump said he was fulfilling a campaign promise to bring U.S. troops home from “endless wars” in the Middle East — casting aside criticism that a sudden U.S. withdrawal from Syria betrays the Kurdish fighters, stains U.S. credibility around the world and opens an important region to Russia. 

“We have a situation where Turkey is taking land from Syria. Syria’s not happy about it. Let them work it out,” Trump said. “They have a problem at a border. It’s not our border. We shouldn’t be losing lives over it.”

"US delegation seeking a cease-fire with Turkey and Kurds," Zeke Miller and Robert Burns

If only it were true. A helpful story by Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Eric Schmitt, "How the U.S. Military Will Carry Out a Hasty, Risky Withdrawal From Syria" appeared the other day:

As the troops withdraw, they first will collapse inward by abandoning the outposts closest to the line of advancing foreign troops, in this case the Turkish military and its ill-disciplined Syrian militia proxies, along with Russian and Syrian government forces.

U.S. troops are leaving the Turkish border but there is no reporting saying that they are exiting Syria.

Moon of Alabama continues its "best of all possible worlds" interpretation of ongoing events, providing the first reference to Syria recovering some of its oil fields in Deir ez-Zor:

Russian troops prevented attempts by Turkish supported Jihadis to attack Manbij. Russian and Syrian units have now also entered Ayn al-Arab/Kobani. Syrian government troops took control of the electricity producing dam in Tabqah and some units set up posts in Raqqa. Other units entered the Conoco and Al-Umar oil fields north of Abu Kahmal and east of Deir Ezzor. Some local tribe which profited from the oil explorations there held a small protest against the return of government control.

I remain skeptical. The official U.S. position, which presumably vice president Pence and secretary of state Pompeo are in Ankara today to convey, is a demand for a ceasefire. Trump has already undercut this position with his comments that what happens in northeast Syria is not a U.S. concern. And the House of Representatives has undercut Trump by voting a 354-60 rebuke of his troop pullout.

But so far the pullout seems limited to some bases in Kobani, Manbij, the hot zone between Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ayn, and Raqqa. The U.S. controls a substantial airbase near Kobani, as well as an Advanced Operational Base West and an Advanced Operational Base East; also, we need some confirmation that the U.S. has actually relinquished control of the oil fields in Deir ez-Zor.