First Iraqi reaction on McGurk resignation

Arbil/ Iraq TradeLink: Ex-Iraqi minister and a leader in the Kurdish Democratic Party Hoshiar Zebari describe(s) the resignation of the special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Brett McGurk as “wise and timely”.

Brett McGurk, the top US official leading a 79-nation coalition fighting ISIS, resigned from his post on Friday in protest of the president’s sudden decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria.

McGurk said in an email to staff that President Donald Trump’s decision on Syria came as a “shock,” was a “complete reversal” of US policy, and “left our coalition partners confused and our fighting partners bewildered.

“I worked this week to help manage some of the fallout but — as many of you heard in my meetings and phone calls — I ultimately concluded that I could not carry out these new instructions and maintain my integrity,” he wrote.

McGurk, the special presidential envoy in the long-fought battle, was planning to retire in February, but sped up his departure as a result of the president’s controversial and unexpected decision to pull all 2,000 US troops out of the war-torn Middle Eastern nation, CBS News reported on Saturday.

He wrote in the email, which was first reported by the Times, that he could not abide the dramatic change in policy, which Trump announced by tweet without consulting Congress or US allies.

McGurk’s resignation comes just one day after Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced he is quitting over Trump’s withdrawal from Syria, treatment of US allies, and the handling of American adversaries.

On Saturday, Trump called news reports concerning Syria “mostly FAKE” and insisted that the terrorist group is “largely defeated” and can be contained by neighboring countries, including Turkey, despite the fact that the group retains as many as 30.000 loyal fighters.

“When I became President, ISIS was going wild. Now ISIS is largely defeated and other local countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take care of whatever remains,” Trump wrote. “We’re coming home!”.

Source: Iraqtradelinknews.com