Washington/Qamishli, Syria
The U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State added to the confusion surrounding the U.S. withdrawal from Syria on Friday by declaring that it had started the pullout process, but U.S. officials later clarified that only equipment, not troops, had exited the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement last month that he had decided to withdraw the 2,000 U.S. troops there stunned allies who have joined Washington in the battle against Islamic State militants in Syria. Senior U.S. officials were shocked too, among them Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who quit in protest.