A large number of American diplomats in Syria were dismissed.

Arabian Sea Newspaper - Special

Arab Sea_Follow-ups: Five informed sources said that some of the most senior American diplomats concerned with Syria have been dismissed from their positions in the past few days, at a time when Washington is seeking to integrate its Kurdish allies in Syria with the central administration in Damascus, according to Reuters. These diplomats in the Regional Syria Platform - the de facto American mission to the country based in Istanbul - reported to Thomas Barrack, the US Special Envoy to Syria and a long-time advisor and friend of President Donald Trump. Barrack, who was appointed last May, has led a shift in regional policy that supports a unified Syrian state under the leadership of President Ahmed al-Shara, who took power after a swift advance by the opposition and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad late last year. One source, a US diplomatic source, said that "some" staff at the Regional Syria Platform were informed that their assignments were ending as part of a team reorganization. The source added that the departure of these people will not affect US policy in Syria, and that the decision to dispense with them was not due to policy differences between the staff and Barrack or the White House. The sources, which also included four people: two Western diplomats and two sources based in the United States, stated that these moves were sudden and involuntary, and that they occurred last week. Reuters was unable to confirm the official reason for these moves. A State Department official said the department does not comment on "personnel decisions or administrative reorganizations." He added, "Key personnel working on issues related to Syria continue to operate from multiple locations." Barrack has urged the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to move faster to ratify a March agreement with al-Shara to place the areas they administer under state authority and integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces into government security forces.