Defence Secretary James Mattis announces resignation

Washington: US Defence Secretary James Mattis has announced that he would resign at the end of February due to differences with Donald Trump over the withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan, saying in a parting letter that the President deserves someone atop the Pentagon “better aligned” with his views.
The retired Marine general’s announcement came on Thursday, a day after the Trump administration said that the full withdrawal of US forces from Syria was under way, a move that shocked American allies.
Trump overruled his advisers, including Mattis over Syria troop withdrawal and declared victory over the Islamic State. However, the Pentagon and State Department for months have been saying the fight against the group in Syria was far from over, the Washington Post reported.
The President also ordered the Pentagon, against Mattis’ recommendation, to come up with a plan to pull out approximately half of the 14,000 American troops deployed to Afghanistan, a move likely to plunge the war-torn nation into further chaos.
The retired general, in contrast to Trump, favoured international alliances and said that the US derives its strength from its relationships with allies and should treat them with respect.
He also said the country must also be “clear-eyed” about threats, including from groups such as the Islamic State.
His departure led to a chorus of concern about the President’s temperament and decision-making ability and injected new uncertainty into the administration’s approach to global threats. (IANS)