President Trump to leave 200 troops in Syria as "peacekeeping group": White House
Washington : The Trump administration will leave 200 US troops in Syria to act as a "small peacekeeping group", the White House has announced following President Donald Trump's order for a "full" withdrawal of the American military from the war-torn country.
The White House announced the decision on Thursday after Trump spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the phone.
"A small peacekeeping group of about 200 will remain in Syria for a period of time," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement after the call between the two leaders.
In December, Trump abruptly declared victory against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria and announced that the more than 2,000 US troops in Syria would be withdrawn immediately.
The president ordered staff to execute the "full" and "rapid" withdrawal of US military from Syria, declaring that the US had defeated ISIS.
The administration has since changed its timeline and said that it will seek a withdrawal of most troops by the end of April.
Trump's surprise decision prompted the resignation of former Defense Secretary James Mattis and the president has since received strong pushback from lawmakers who worry the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Kurdish forces who helped in the fight against ISIS would be threatened by Turkey without US protection.
According a White House readout of the call, the two leaders underscored the importance of the bilateral relationship and discussed a number of issues including Syria and trade.
"On Syria, the two Presidents agreed to continue coordinating on the creation of a potential safe zone," the White House said.
Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford will be hosting their Turkish counterparts in Washington this week for further talks.
Senator Lindsay Graham praised Trump for his decision to leave 200 American troops in Syria as part of an international stabilising force.
"This will ensure ISIS does not return and Iran does not fill the vacuum that would have been left if we completely withdrew. This also ensures Turkey and SDF elements that helped us defeat ISIS will not go into conflict," Graham said.
Currently the US has some 2,000 troops in Syria.
The US troop withdrawal has left America's Kurdish allies vulnerable to an attack from Turkey. Ankara views the Kurdish forces as terrorists aligned with insurgents inside Turkey.
Last month, Trump threatened to "devastate" Turkey economically if the NATO-allied nation attacks US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria following the US pullout and also urged the Kurds not to "provoke" Ankara.
Ground troops first arrived in Syria in autumn 2015 when then-President Barack Obama sent in a small number of special forces to train and advise YPG fighters.
A peaceful uprising against the president of Syria President Bashar al-Assad seven years ago turned into a full-scale civil war. The conflict has left more than 350,000 people dead, devastated cities and drawn in other countries.
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Will push for Mekedatu balancing reservoir scheme: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday asserted that the state government would push ahead with key irrigation and drinking water projects, including the long-pending Mekedatu balancing reservoir scheme that is being opposed by Tamil Nadu, while continuing to pursue approvals and resolve disputes with neighbouring states over river water sharing.
Presenting the budget for the year 2026-27 in the Assembly, Siddaramaiah highlighted several initiatives aimed at strengthening irrigation infrastructure, addressing water shortages and expanding drinking water supply across different river basins in the state.
"The dismissal of the petitions filed by the State of Tamil Nadu in the Supreme Court with regard to flagship Mekedatu scheme is a significant legal victory for our state," he said about the neighbouring state's objection over the project, which envisages utilising Cauvery water.
In light of this judgement, a revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) along with a proposal for forest clearance will be submitted shortly to the Government of India, Siddaramaiah said.
The Mekedatu project has been a contentious issue between Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, which has repeatedly opposed the project citing concerns over downstream water availability as regards the inter-state river.
The CM also referred to the progress made under the Yettinahole Comprehensive Drinking Water Project (YCDWP).
"The first phase of lift irrigation works of the YCDWP has been commissioned successfully," he said, adding that the remaining 18.73 km canal works in the second phase will be completed shortly.
"To impound excess water, a balancing reservoir of 1.2 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) capacity will be constructed near Vaderahalli in Koratagere taluk," Siddaramaiah said.
He also announced progress in the Upper Bhadra Project after resolution of a long-standing land dispute.
Consequently, the 135-km long Chitradurga branch canal and associated feeder works will be completed by 2027, enabling the filling up of 157 tanks in the region.
The chief minister noted that despite the project's national importance, the Centre has not released funds.
"Although no funds have been released by the Central Government, Rs 11,343 crore has been incurred by the state government for this project," he said.
Siddaramaiah also announced compensation measures related to the raising of the Almatti dam height under the Upper Krishna Project (UKP).
Under the revised compensation package, the government has fixed Rs 30 lakh per acre for dry land and Rs 40 lakh per acre for wet land.
The replacement of 33 dilapidated gates of the Tungabhadra Dam with new gates will be completed before the onset of monsoon.
To address the reduction in storage capacity caused by silt accumulation, the government is exploring alternative measures.
"Alternative measures including the construction of a balancing reservoir near Navali in Koppal district are already under consideration," he said.
Siddaramaiah said the state would intensify efforts to implement an alternative scheme in consultation with neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with the concurrence of the Tungabhadra Board.
He criticised the Centre for the "delays" in approvals for the Kalasa-Bandura project under the Mahadayi basin.
He alleged that the requisite forest clearance has not yet been received from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the National Board for Wildlife.
Announcing new schemes, Siddaramaiah said the Uduthore Halla project would be implemented in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district at a cost of Rs 490 crore that would provide drinking water and irrigate 12,000 acres of suffering command area.
In-principle approval would be granted for the construction of a 0.67 TMC impounding reservoir at Babanagar in Vijayapura under the Tubachi-Babaleshwara scheme.
In a broader push to expand irrigation coverage, he said priority would be given to completing several ongoing projects.
Overall, the government plans to undertake 75 irrigation works worth Rs 8,045 crore across major river basins including the Krishna, Cauvery and Godavari.
The government will also focus on improving water-use efficiency through modern irrigation systems by adopting a Pressured Piped Network system of irrigation in 4,745 hectares of command area under the Hattikuni and Tungabhadra Left Bank Branch Canal, Siddaramaiah said.
In the minor irrigation sector, the chief minister announced several tank-filling and rejuvenation projects, including the third phase of the Hebbala-Nagawara Valley project which will fill 164 tanks at an estimated cost of Rs 237 crore.
Siddaramaiah also said the state government has approved 112 works including lift irrigation projects, check dams and tank rejuvenation schemes at a cost of Rs 1,793 crore for 2025-26.
