Trump freezes Syria recovery funds: reports

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a hold on more than 200 million U.S. dollars in recovery funds for Syria this week, U.S. media reported on Saturday.

Trump demanded more information on how the money is being used, senior State Department officials were quoted by CNN as saying.

He also reportedly wanted to see other countries step up to the plate and pay more.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump said in a speech in the U.S. state of Ohio that that his country will withdraw its troops in Syria "very soon," at odds with the statement of Pentagon spokesperson Dana White on the same day that "important work remains to guarantee the lasting defeat of these violent extremists" in the Middle East country.

A State Department spokesperson was quoted by The Hill that the funding is constantly reevaluated, but he did not confirm it was frozen.

U.S. media outlets reported that the frozen funding was earmarked for basic infrastructure projects, such as restoring power and water and rebuilding roads.

Then U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged the funding last month at a conference in Kuwait.

CBS news reported that the decision was relayed to the State Department on Friday in a call that White House chief of staff John Kelly made to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan.

Trump's remarks have triggered doubts of the U.S. operation in Syria, as two soldiers of the U.S.-led coalition were killed in a roadside bomb attack in the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Thursday.

Turkey repeatedly urged Washington and the U.S.-backed People's Protection Units to retreat from Manbij where 2,000 U.S. troops are stationed.