Trump ‘did not consult US military commander in Middle East before Syria troop withdrawal’

'I was not consulted,' General Joseph Votel reveals to senators

Donald Trump did not consult his top general in the Middle East before making the surprise decision to pull troops out of Syria, the head of the US military’s Central Command has said.

General Joseph Votel, who oversees military operations in the region, told senators on the Armed Services Committee he was "not consulted" prior to the announcement.

The commander did acknowledge that Mr Trump had publicly expressed a desire to leave Syria at some point, but said that failed to translate into a discussion before the withdrawal was confirmed.

The revelation came as Gen Votel warned about an imminent threat from Isis in Syria and Iraq, whose presence he said would remain following the US withdrawal from the region.

The top US commander testified that while the ISIS-held territory in Syria had reduced from 34,000 square miles to about 20 square miles, the fight against the terrorist group in the region is not yet over.

Before revealing that Mr Trump did not consult him over the withdrawal announcement, Mr Votel insisted the Pentagon was ready and capable of fulfilling the president's order to withdraw all American troops from Syria.

The four-star general said around 2,000 US ground forces would depart from the region in a "deliberate and coordinated manner".

“We are adjusting our military posture in Syria, planning and executing a deliberate, safe and professional withdrawal of personnel and equipment while preserving sufficient power in the region,” Gen Votel said in a statement.

The military commander also insisted the US strategy in the region was working and that Isis has been defeated territorially in Syria by about 99 per cent.