Russia takes over key U.S. outposts in Syria, filling vacuum left by American withdrawal

Russian troops have occupied positions in Syria that just days ago had been U.S. outposts, filling the vacuum left when President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of American forces from the war-torn country, according to the Russian military and a U.S. official.

The move illustrates how quickly the ground has shifted in Syria since Trump's call last week with Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish president told Trump that his forces planned to invade Turkey to attack Kurdish forces there that it considers terrorists. Trump announced after the call that U.S. forces would withdraw from the region. The Kurds, facing an onslaught from Turkey, have swung their allegiance from the United States to the Syrian regime of Bashar al Assad and his Russian patron.

Read the full story and more in USA Today.