President Trump has “ordered full US troop withdrawal from Syria” saying that the defeat of ISIS was his only reason for being there.

Trump tweeted that the terror group had been defeated, as the White House announced that the US had started pulling out its troops.

We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2018

Does this mean America will finally exit Syria?

The full White House statement was issued late Wednesday morning:

Sarah Sanders: “We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign…” pic.twitter.com/1V00r4WUyP

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) December 19, 2018

RT reports: However, it added that the move does not mean an end of the military campaign in the war-torn country but marks a “new phase” in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

“These victories over ISIS in Syria do not signal the end of the Global Coalition or its campaign. We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

She also partly echoed an earlier tweet by President Trump, who also said that IS terrorists were defeated while calling the group “the only reason for [the US troops] being there [in Syria].”

Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. Sean Robertson said three months ago that ISIS “is well-positioned to rebuild and work on enabling its physical caliphate to re-emerge. It’s probably still more capable than al-Qaida in Iraq at its peak in 2006-2007.” https://t.co/luyBT3cQS0

— Jamie O’Grady