Mattis signs troop withdrawal order after Trump ‘fires’ him on Twitter

Defense Secretary James Mattis has signed the order to withdraw all US troops from Syria and about half of the 14,000 troops currently in Afghanistan, the Pentagon confirmed on Monday. Mattis submitted his resignation to Trump over the decision last week, criticizing the president for ignoring the desires of US allies. Trump has responded by effectively firing Mattis, saying that his deputy Patrick Shanahan will take over as acting secretary on January 1, a full month sooner than Mattis had announced in his resignation letter.