President Trump’s U-turn in Syria has created another dismemberment in the country

There are U-turns. And then there are Donald Trump U-turns. Having announced, apparently almost on a whim, to take US troops out of northern Syria a fortnight ago, the president now proposes to send “mechanised forces” to the east of Syria.

Thus, before long, and in two spectacularly inept moves, the United States will end up with more personnel in Syria than it started with; they will be far more exposed to a resurgent so-called Isis; and will be in constant danger of conflict with Russian or, more likely, Russian proxy forces currently undertaking bogus peacekeeping duties with their Turkish allies.

The deployment of tanks in this part of Syria is especially pointed, as they have not been deployed before, and they betoken a readiness to engage, if need be, in heavy combat, either with Turkish militia or President Assad’s Syrian forces.