President Donald Trump's former special envoy who dealt with the Islamic State (ISIS) is taking a hard stance against the administration's changing policy in Syria.
Hours after the White House announced the Pentagon is moving U.S. forces away from Syria's northeastern border with Turkey because of expected Turkish actions against Syrian Kurds, Brett McGurk aired his disagreement with the policy change on Twitter.
"Donald Trump is not a Commander-in-Chief. He makes impulsive decisions with no knowledge or deliberation. He sends military personnel into harm's way with no backing. He blusters and then leaves our allies exposed when adversaries call his bluff or he confronts a hard phone call," McGurk tweeted.
He continued, "The WH statement tonight on Syria after Trump spoke with Erdogan demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of anything happening on the ground. The 'United States' is not holding any ISIS detainees. They are all being held by the SDF, which Trump just served up to Turkey."
McGurk posted several other tweets early Monday morning that showed his strong disagreement to the decision. Kurdish fighters also criticized the move, saying it will leave them vulnerable after years of having the U.S. protect and fight with them.
At issue is the fact that Turkey views members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, comprised of mostly Kurdish fighters, as a threat.
"Following our conversation last night [with Trump], the withdrawal has started as expressed by the president," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.
There are roughly 1,000 U.S. troops in northern Syria.