The move comes after Mr Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed Ankara’s plans to establish a “safe zone” east of the Euphrates River in Syria. And it casts uncertainty on the fate of the Kurdish fighters who fought alongside US troops in the bloody and hard-won campaign against ISIS fanatics.
Kurdish fighters spearheaded the ground war against ISIS militants but are considered terrorists by the Turkish government which has vowed target the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia over its links to Kurdish insurgent groups in Turkey.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces accused Washington of failing to meet its commitments and warned the withdrawal will have a “great negative” impact on the war against ISIS.
A spokesman said: “The American forces did not fulfil their commitments and withdrew their forces from the border areas with Turkey, and Turkey is now preparing for an invasion operation of northern and eastern Syria.”
Kurdish protestors have taken part in a demonstrations against Turkish aggression in towns throught the northern Syria’s border region.
In December, Mr Trump announced he was pulling US troops from Syria but was met with widespread condemnation for abandoning Kurdish allies to the Turkish assault.
The announcement prompted the resignation in protest of then-Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, and a coordinated campaign by then-national security adviser John Bolton to try to protect the Kurds.
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But a statement from the White House confirmed the withdrawal from northern Syria.
It said: “Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into Northern Syria.
“The US Armed Forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and US forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial ‘Caliphate’, will no longer be in the immediate area.”
Ankara and Washington remain at odds over how far the zone should extend into Syria and who should control it.
Relations between the allies have also been strained over Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defence missiles and the trial of local US consulate employees in Ankara.