Trump defends U.S. withdrawal from Syria, says others must fight

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his surprise decision to declare victory over Islamic State militants in Syria and completely withdraw U.S. troops from the country, amid criticism from some Republicans and concern from allies and some U.S. military commanders. In early morning tweets, Trump said he was fulfilling a promise from his 2016 presidential campaign to leave Syria. Echoing a central plank of his foreign policy – that he seeks to stop the United States being taken advantage of – he said the United States was doing the work of other countries, including Russia and Iran, with little in return.