The pending US pullout set off a countdown for governments whose citizens, having joined IS, were captured by the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Several countries, including France, that have chosen to leave the jihadists in SDF detention now confront a diplomatic, legal, political and logistical puzzle. We are pulling back after 100 percent Caliphate victory!” Trump said in his late-Saturday tweets. An SDF commander said his US-backed forces slowed their advance to protect civilians. Trump’s Syria pullout has highlighted the deep trans-Atlantic rift that emerged under his presidency, and the differing views of the two sides were on display Saturday at a security conference in Munich.

Source: Manila Times February 17, 2019 07:52 UTC