US withdrawal from Syria would shake up situation

A decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria would greatly change the situation in the war-ravaged country, said analysts, and they expressed doubt as to whether the troops can be fully pulled back as the United States president has claimed.

US President Donald Trump said he has decided to pull all 2,000 US troops out of Syria after he declared on Wednesday a victory over Islamic State.

"We've won against ISIS," Trump said in a short video posted on Twitter. "We've beaten them, and we've beaten them badly. We've taken back the land, and now it's time for our troops to come back home."

The White House did not offer any details on the potential timeline of the withdrawal.

The Pentagon later confirmed that the US military has already begun the process of bringing the US forces back, while also emphasizing the continuity of the campaign.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a year-end news conference in Moscow that he welcomed the US decision to withdraw its military from Syria.

Putin said that he largely agrees with Trump that Islamic State has been defeated in Syria, and he hopes that work to form a constitutional committee for Syria is reaching its final phase.

The British Foreign Office said in a statement on Wednesday that IS remains a threat even though it holds no territory, and people "must not lose sight of the threat they pose".

"These developments in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition (formed in 2014) or its campaign. We will continue to work with members of the coalition in achieving this," the office said.

France said on Thursday that it will continue to participate in the coalition fighting IS forces in Syria.

Yin Gang, a Middle East expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Trump's decision could involve Syria in a new round of conflicts and wars.

He said it may give Turkey a chance to launch large-scale military action in northern Syria, where most of the US troops are currently stationed.

"The withdrawal will leave a vacuum in the area, and Turkey may take advantage," Yin said. "It's hard to imagine a complete withdrawal of the US troops."

Turkey has recently warned that it would launch combat operations across its southern border into northeastern Syria against Kurdish forces.

Meanwhile, another researcher at CASS, Zhang Fan, said the decision suggested that the US no longer wants to participate in the Syrian conflict, sending a signal that future intervention in Syria is less likely.

"The Syrian government can relax now," he said, adding that the future direction of the situation lies in the confrontation between pro-and anti-government forces.

Fan Jishe, an expert at the Institute of American Studies at CASS, said the withdrawal reflects Trump's determination to "make America great again", and he is not willing to make more effort on some regional issues.

"The Syrian issue still exists, but unlike the previous government, the Trump administration is reluctant to put too much military power in this area, especially when the Syrian government has regained most of the territories," he said. "Trump wants to cut overseas costs and focus on (domestic) development."

AP, AFP and Reuters contributed to this story.