The United States has <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/syria-is-sand-and-death-trump-says-187966">no plan for Syria</a> as it proceeds with President Donald Trump's order to pull American troops out of the country, a top official who quit in protest at the policy said on Sunday.

Brett McGurk, who was America's envoy to the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State group, said "there's no plan for what's coming next" and this is increasing the risk to US forces.

He spoke in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation," after a suicide bomber on Wednesday killed four Americans and 15 others in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. It was the deadliest attack to hit US troops since they deployed to Syria in 2014 to assist local forces against the Islamic State group.&nbsp;

The bombing came after Trump's announcement last month that he was ordering a full withdrawal of the 2,000 US troops from Syria, shocking allies and leading to the resignations of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as well as McGurk.

Senior US officials have since given contradictory statements about US intentions, but the Pentagon said it had begun the withdrawal, although how long it would take remained uncertain.

"The president has made that clear -- we are leaving. And that means our force should be really with one mission: to get out and get out safely," McGurk told "Face the Nation."

But he added: "Right now we do not have a plan. It increases a vulnerability of our force... It is increasing the risk to our people on the ground in Syria and will open up space for ISIS," another acronym for IS.

Most importantly, said McGurk, the US cannot expect "a partner" such as NATO-ally Turkey to take the place of the United States.

"That is not realistic. And if our forces are under order to withdraw, as at the same time they are trying to find some formula for another coalition partner to come in, that is not workable. That is not a viable plan."

Trump announced the US withdrawal because, he said, IS had been defeated -- something McGurk and other experts dispute.

McGurk has previously warned that the US pullout would shore up Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and lessen America's leverage with Russia and Iran.

The United States has no plan for Syria as it proceeds with President Donald Trump's order to pull American troops out of the country, a top official who quit in protest at the policy said on Sunday.

The United States has no plan for Syria as it proceeds with President Donald Trump's order to pull American troops out of the country, a top official who quit in protest at the policy said on Sunday. Brett McGurk, who was America's envoy to the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State group, said "there's no plan for what's coming next" and this is increasing the risk to US forces. He spoke in an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation," after a suicide bomber on Wednesday killed four Americans and 15 others in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. It was the deadliest attack to hit US troops since they deployed to Syria in 2014 to assist local forces against the Islamic State group. The bombing came after Trump's announcement last month that he was ordering a full withdrawal of the 2,000 US troops from Syria, shocking allies and leading to the resignations of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as well as McGurk. Senior US officials have since given contradictory statements about US intentions, but the Pentagon said it had begun the withdrawal, although how long it would take remained uncertain. "The president has made that clear -- we are leaving. And that means our force should be really with one mission: to get out and get out safely," McGurk told "Face the Nation." But he added: "Right now we do not have a plan. It increases a vulnerability of our force... It is increasing the risk to our people on the ground in Syria and will open up space for ISIS," another acronym for IS. Most importantly, said McGurk, the US cannot expect "a partner" such as NATO-ally Turkey to take the place of the United States. "That is not realistic. And if our forces are under order to withdraw, as at the same time they are trying to find some formula for another coalition partner to come in, that is not workable. That is not a viable plan." Trump announced the US withdrawal because, he said, IS had been defeated -- something McGurk and other experts dispute. McGurk has previously warned that the US pullout would shore up Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and lessen America's leverage with Russia and Iran.

America has 'no plan' as it pulls out of Syria: Ex-US envoy

US begins process of pulling out from Syria

US special envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS, Brett McGurk, has submitted his resignation ahead of his departure planned in February, news agency AFP reported quoting CBS.&nbsp;

McGurk's resignation came as a result of "strong disagreement" with President Donald Trump's decision to pull <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-is-right-to-pull-us-troops-out-of-syria-says-putin-185511">US troops out of Syria</a>.&nbsp;

This comes a day after Trump's Defense Secretary <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-defence-secretary-jim-mattis-exit-sparks-concern-among-us-allies-185709">Jim Mattis quit</a> on the back of same decision.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned on Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump stunned the US establishment by ordering a troop withdrawal from Syria.

"My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades' immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote.

"Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position."

Trump on Wednesday declared in a video message that "we won" and said that the troops are "coming back now."&nbsp;

US special envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS, Brett McGurk, has submitted his resignation ahead of his departure planned in February, news agency AFP reported quoting CBS.

US special envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS, Brett McGurk, has submitted his resignation ahead of his departure planned in February, news agency AFP reported quoting CBS. McGurk's resignation came as a result of "strong disagreement" with President Donald Trump's decision to pull US troops out of Syria. This comes a day after Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis quit on the back of same decision. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned on Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump stunned the US establishment by ordering a troop withdrawal from Syria. "My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades' immersion in these issues," Mattis wrote. "Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position." Trump on Wednesday declared in a video message that "we won" and said that the troops are "coming back now."

US special envoy Brett McGurk quits over Trump's decision to pull troops from Syria

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior, Qasim al-Araji, launched an investigation&nbsp;into accusations&nbsp;of torture and abuse allegedly&nbsp;committed by the Iraqi elite forces of the Emergency Response Division (ERD) during the Mosul offensive. &nbsp;

Since October 2016&nbsp;several units of the Iraqi army fought&nbsp;to uproot the Islamic State (IS)&nbsp;from Mosul, which now&nbsp;occupies only abouty ten per cent of Mosul&nbsp;when before it had full control.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The decision to investigate the ERD&nbsp;comes after the German magazine Der Spiegel published an article and a few pictures taken by Iraqi photographer Ali Arkady, while he was following the ERD&#39;s operations. &nbsp;

Arkady, who is also a&nbsp;documentary filmmaker, was allowed full access for a project aiming to&nbsp;present&nbsp;the effort that soldiers were making in Mosul. His project took a sudden turn when he started witnessing civilians suspected of being Islamic State supporters being hanged to the ceiling, blindfolded and beaten up by ERD soldiers. He recounts&nbsp;brutality, torture and random killing&nbsp;based only on rumours and mere suspicion. A man, for instance, was tortured to death only because his elder brother joined the Islamic State.&nbsp;

The ERD is currently conducting street-to-street operations against the last pockets where IS militants still hold control. The unit is part of the special forces directly answering to the ministry of interior and has been trained mainly by the US army. They often conduct night raids and rapid incursions.&nbsp;

Before publishing his reportage, Ali Arkady moved out of Iraq with his family, fearing for their safety. Since then, he repeatedly received threats. &nbsp;

The Emergency Response Division issued a statement dismissing the report and stating that it&nbsp;is based on &quot;fabricated and unreal images&quot;.&nbsp;

Brett McGurk, the US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, expressed his country&#39;s position on the matter on Twitter:&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Iraqi forces have bravely placed civilian protection as top priority throughout <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mosul?src=hash">#Mosul</a> campaign, at great risk to their own personnel. 1/2
&mdash; Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) <a href="https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/867163128714248192">May 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Individuals or units failing to uphold that standard do a disservice to their sacrifice and must be investigated &amp; held accountable. 2/2
&mdash; Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) <a href="https://twitter.com/brett_mcgurk/status/867163758560333824">May 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Arkady&#39;s work opens a window on something many journalists were afraid of while following the Mosul offensive on the ground. Many documented and photographed&nbsp;anybody&nbsp;merely suspected of supporting the IS&nbsp;while they were being carried away on the back of pickups and armoured vehicles. No one was allowed to follow these people&nbsp;in order to understand how they were&nbsp;questioned.&nbsp;

The main narrative was&nbsp;Iraqi forces as brave liberators freeing civilians from the pure evil&nbsp;of the Islamic State. The Iraqi army was quite devoted in showing their humanitarian side whenever reporters were around. &nbsp;

The Der Spiegel report is a reminder of&nbsp;the long-standing problem of access for civilian witnesses in war zones. If independent actors are not allowed to follow every step of a conflict, the battlefield will always protect and hide all abuses and violations. This is valid for every army &ndash; regular or irregular &ndash; in the world.&nbsp;

But war is war, and is always dirty. There is no gallantry and too many times armies, insurgents and terrorists profit from&nbsp;theft, human trafficking and every form of violation. In almost every country at war&nbsp;there are no sensitisation programs&nbsp;for regular armies on how to behave. This is especially needed in countries like Iraq, which have witnessed long conflicts. Any 20-year-old Iraqi has barely memories of a peacful country, and this shapes his judgment.

Conflicts exasperate relations between neighbours. Arrests based merely&nbsp;on the word of&nbsp;locals--which can be based on rumours, pressure from the army, and fraught for many other reasons--cannot be the norm. The risk of personal vendettas&nbsp;is too high. An official investigation and a fair trial are the need of the hour if a government wants to start walking towards a reconciliation process.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Iraq's ministry of interior requested investigation after German magazine Der Spiegel published pictures of soldiers torturing civilians

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior, Qasim al-Araji, launched an investigation into accusations of torture and abuse allegedly committed by the Iraqi elite forces of the Emergency Response Division (ERD) during the Mosul offensive. Since October 2016 several units of the Iraqi army fought to uproot the Islamic State (IS) from Mosul, which now occupies only abouty ten per cent of Mosul when before it had full control. The decision to investigate the ERD comes after the German magazine Der Spiegel published an article and a few pictures taken by Iraqi photographer Ali Arkady, while he was following the ERD's operations. Arkady, who is also a documentary filmmaker, was allowed full access for a project aiming to present the effort that soldiers were making in Mosul. His project took a sudden turn when he started witnessing civilians suspected of being Islamic State supporters being hanged to the ceiling, blindfolded and beaten up by ERD soldiers. He recounts brutality, torture and random killing based only on rumours and mere suspicion. A man, for instance, was tortured to death only because his elder brother joined the Islamic State. The ERD is currently conducting street-to-street operations against the last pockets where IS militants still hold control. The unit is part of the special forces directly answering to the ministry of interior and has been trained mainly by the US army. They often conduct night raids and rapid incursions. Before publishing his reportage, Ali Arkady moved out of Iraq with his family, fearing for their safety. Since then, he repeatedly received threats. The Emergency Response Division issued a statement dismissing the report and stating that it is based on "fabricated and unreal images". Brett McGurk, the US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS, expressed his country's position on the matter on Twitter: Iraqi forces have bravely placed civilian protection as top priority throughout #Mosul campaign, at great risk to their own personnel. 1/2 — Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) May 23, 2017 × Individuals or units failing to uphold that standard do a disservice to their sacrifice and must be investigated & held accountable. 2/2 — Brett McGurk (@brett_mcgurk) May 23, 2017 × Arkady's work opens a window on something many journalists were afraid of while following the Mosul offensive on the ground. Many documented and photographed anybody merely suspected of supporting the IS while they were being carried away on the back of pickups and armoured vehicles. No one was allowed to follow these people in order to understand how they were questioned. The main narrative was Iraqi forces as brave liberators freeing civilians from the pure evil of the Islamic State. The Iraqi army was quite devoted in showing their humanitarian side whenever reporters were around. The Der Spiegel report is a reminder of the long-standing problem of access for civilian witnesses in war zones. If independent actors are not allowed to follow every step of a conflict, the battlefield will always protect and hide all abuses and violations. This is valid for every army – regular or irregular – in the world. But war is war, and is always dirty. There is no gallantry and too many times armies, insurgents and terrorists profit from theft, human trafficking and every form of violation. In almost every country at war there are no sensitisation programs for regular armies on how to behave. This is especially needed in countries like Iraq, which have witnessed long conflicts. Any 20-year-old Iraqi has barely memories of a peacful country, and this shapes his judgment. Conflicts exasperate relations between neighbours. Arrests based merely on the word of locals--which can be based on rumours, pressure from the army, and fraught for many other reasons--cannot be the norm. The risk of personal vendettas is too high. An official investigation and a fair trial are the need of the hour if a government wants to start walking towards a reconciliation process. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Iraqi forces accused of brutality and torture in Mosul, investigation to start

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America has 'no plan' as it pulls out of Syria: Ex-US envoy

US begins process of pulling out from Syria

US special envoy Brett McGurk quits over Trump's decision to pull troops from Syria

Iraqi forces accused of brutality and torture in Mosul, investigation to start