Russia today: source close to the Kurdish protection units reveals the first signs of the sudden American decision.. The withdrawal began from the city of Manbej

A source close to Syrian Democratic Forces (Kurdish protection units) said on Wednesday that American and French troops had begun to leave their positions on the outskirts of the city of Manbej, the channel said.

The source said that the US forces withdrew from a position in the town of Al Shuyukh east of Manbej (rural Aleppo) and from its positions in the village of Al Aasq on the outskirts of the city of Tal Abyad, towards the American base in the city of Ain Issa in the province of Raqqa, from Syria.

The source added that “the French forces also withdrew from some points in Manbej in rural Aleppo and Ain Issa in rural Raqqa” in preparation for the full withdrawal from the country.

The source added that “the withdrawal came in conjunction with an intensive flight of Turkish reconnaissance aircraft in the sky of the city of Ras Al Ain in the countryside of Hasakeh”.

He added that “the French forces also withdrew from some points in Manbej countryside Aleppo and Ain Issa rural Raqqa in preparation for full withdrawal from Syria”.

US President Donald Trump announced in his Twitter account that the war against the terrorist group was the sole goal of US troops staying in Syria.

Trump said the United States had defeated the “Islamic state” in Syria and that his country’s troops would withdraw from the country.

“We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during The Trump presidency”.

For his part, a US official said earlier on Wednesday that Washington is considering the withdrawal of its troops from Syria, in conjunction with the near end of its campaign to restore areas controlled by the “Da’ash” terrorist.

Last September, the US president announced that the United States would soon decide on the presence of its troops in Syria after the terrorist organization Da’ash was eliminated.

A US official has said that the United States began to evacuate all employees of the State Department in Syria, the official said in an interview with “Reuters” that is expected to be completed within 24 hours.

This development comes in conjunction with the announcement by the White House, Wednesday, that the United States began withdrawing its troops deployed in Syria, pointing to the transition of the US campaign there to a new stage.

Despite the absence of any diplomatic relations with the Syrian government in Damascus under the leadership of President Bashar Al Assad, the United States has recently sent teams of its diplomats to the country, who have spread in the territories controlled by its military units or their allies.

In late 2017, US Secretary of Defense James Matisse stated that US State Department staff were working in Syria to contribute to “the initial repatriation of services and the bringing of contractors”, the management of funds allocated for combat missions, and the “training of local forces to remove IEDs and land control to ensure that the organization does not return”.

On October 2, 2018, Matisse announced the doubling of the number of US diplomats in Syria.

“In the midst of what we see from a reduction in military operations, we will see the potential for diplomatic efforts to be consolidated”, he said.