The confusion in the US establishment over withdrawing from Syria and the fate of the Kurds continued with president Trump, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton all making statements with differing import

Defense secretary Mattis is part of the establishment which believes in maintaining a strong US presence in Syria despite there being no legal backing for the deployment

The US secretary of defense arrived in Argentina last week as part of a tour of various Latin American countries with the purpose of strengthening military links in the region.