President Trump walks to the Rose Garden on the 14th day of a partial government shutdown at the White House on Jan. 4. Both his comments and Trump’s conflict with officials’ initial statements following the president’s unexpected Dec. 19 announcement that all troops would come home in short order. Trump also declared victory against the Islamic State, contradicting military assessments. The unexpected move shocked allies, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned after clashing with Trump over the plans. The White House has said that Turkish-backed forces will take over the campaign against the Islamic State from the SDF, something that many officials caution is unrealistic.

Source: Washington Post January 07, 2019 16:45 UTC