Trump forces Mattis out two months earlier than expected

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was replacing Defense Secretary James Mattis on January 1 with deputy defence secretary Patrick Shanahan in an acting capacity after Mattis resigned over policy differences and offered to stay in his post for two more months.

Trump announced Shanahan’s appointment in a tweet, calling the former Boeing Co executive “very talented” and said that he had a “long list of accomplishments”.

Mattis resigned on Thursday, a day after Trump overruled his advice against pulling US troops out of Syria and reportedly pressed forward on discussions to withdraw forces from Afghanistan.

Mattis told Trump in his resignation letter that he was leaving because “you have a right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours”.

‘Triumph for Erdogan’ as US announces Syria pull-out

Mattis said he would stay through February to ensure an orderly transition.

Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Syria has been sharply criticised for abandoning Washington’s Kurdish allies. Many also say the move will create the same conditions that gave rise to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). 

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasised the importance of standing up for US allies – an implicit criticism of the president’s decision on this issue and others.

“While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies,” Mattis wrote.

Another key player on the Middle East, Brett McGurk, also said he was leaving after years in charge of the war against the ISIL. He too opposed Trump’s new Syria policy.