Lots and lots of reports claiming that this morning..Telegraph All reports are dependent on this:
"A convoy of ten US military vehicles was seen leaving a base in Hasakah province in northeast Syria and heading towards the Iraqi border, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights"
10 Military Vehicles leaving from Hasakah province headed for the Iraqi border.TIME
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict in Syria through a network of activists on the ground, said the withdrawal began Thursday night. It said a convoy of about 10 armored vehicles, in addition to some trucks, pulled out from Syria’s northeastern town of Rmeilan into Iraq.
10 Vehicles heading for the Iraqi border. Has a withdrawal begun?Or are we supposed to believe that one has?TIME also included an out of context quote
Col. Sean Ryan, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, said “the process of our deliberate withdrawal from Syria” has started.
Notice the has started is not in quotations? Is not attributed to Col Sean Ryan?
“Out of concern for operational security, we will not discuss specific timelines, locations or troops movements,” the Baghdad-based official said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.
If Col Ryan will not discuss specific timelines, locations or troop movements should we believe the out of context quote that the withdrawal has started?
There were no other details, and it was not immediately clear how many vehicles or whether any troop units had withdrawn.
Should we believe that the movement of 10 vehicles between Syria and Iraq constitutes withdrawal?I don't. Movement between Iraq and Syria of US military, equipment and vehicles has been covered for years here at the blog. Therefore it's going to take more then this latest claim to convince me the US is withdrawing.How about you? Additional reading here UPDATE 10:40 am
U.S. defense official says no U.S. troops have withdrawn from Syria but equipment is being pulled out
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. defense official says no U.S. troops have withdrawn from Syria but equipment is being pulled out.
Equipment being pulled out. That's not a withdrawal.