Joint Chiefs chairman was in the dark about Trump Syria pullout: report

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was not aware of President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria until after it was made Wednesday, The Washington Post reported.

Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. was not involved in the meeting with Trump in which he made the decision and was left in the dark until after the meeting, according to the Post, citing several sources familiar with the matter.

{mosads}The Joint Chiefs of Staff are a group of military leaders who advice the president on military issues.

Trump on Wednesday announced his decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria, claiming that the U.S. had defeated the Islamic State in the region and declaring that defeating ISIS was his only reason for being there.

The decision angered many Republicans in Congress. The Pentagon initially had no comment on media reports that the U.S. was withdrawing troops. It later said the military had “started the process of returning U.S. troops home from Syria as we transition to the next phase of the campaign.”

Trump claimed in a tweet Thursday that withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria was “no surprise.”

“Getting out of Syria was no surprise. I’ve been campaigning on it for years, and six months ago, when I very publicly wanted to do it, I agreed to stay longer,” he said.