Do you know what will happen if we pull our troops out of Syria?
It could throw region into chaos.
'This is chaos': Critics and allies alike denounce Trump's call to pull troops from Syria
Essentially we can never pull our troops out of any location because that would leave a security vacuum. It's why tens of thousands of troops remain in Germany and Japan. Or so we've been told.

This theory is being tested in Manbij, where Turkish troops and their jihadist allies were supposed to move in while our troops leave.
Of course the Syrian Kurds will be slaughtered by those very same jihadists, but that's the price to be paid to avoid "chaos".

It turns out that there is a third alternative (other than chaos or being slaughtered) for the Syrian Kurds.

The Syrian army said Friday it has entered a key city in northern Syria at the behest of local Kurdish fighters, raising the government flag in a bid to thwart Turkish plans for a military offensive.
... Kurdish forces known as the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, had called on Syria’s government to “assert control” in the city of Manbij and protect it “against a Turkish invasion” following a buildup of Turkish troops and tanks in the area, the YPG said in a statement Friday morning.

The Syrian army said its units “entered Manbij city and raised the Syrian flag,” the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

The military said in a statement Friday that it did so “in response to calls from residents” and to “reimpose sovereignty over every inch of Syrian territory.”

Wait a sec. The option of returning to national sovereignty wasn't possible.
So says the American Empire. And if it isn't possible then it must not be happening, amirite?

Despite incorrect information about changes to military forces in the city of Manbij, Syria, #CJTFOIR has seen no indication that these claims are true. We call on everyone to respect the integrity of Manbij and the safety of its citizens. #DefeatISIS

— Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) December 28, 2018

And yet there is no doubt that the Kurdish militia has asked Assad’s government to send forces to protect it against an attack by Turkey.

Well, nothing can replace U.S. troops. Our leaving Manbij won't stop Turkey from invading Manbij and slaughtering the Kurds. Right?

Turkey will have nothing left to do in the Syrian town of Manbij once “terrorist organizations” leave the area, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, hours after the Syrian army said it had entered the town.
...“In the current situation, we are still supporting the integrity of Syrian soil. These areas belong to Syria. Once the terrorist organizations leave the area, we will have nothing left to do there,” Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul.

What? No invasion? No massacre? No chaos?
But, but we are leaving! Security vacuum! Assad bad!
How can this be?!?