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US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to quit US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis resigns
(35 minutes later)
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will be retiring "with distinction" at the end of February, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday.US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will be retiring "with distinction" at the end of February, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday.
Mr Trump tweeted that General Mattis "was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations".Mr Trump tweeted that General Mattis "was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations".
He did not name a successor, but said one would be appointed shortly. It comes a day after the president's controversial announcement that all US troops would be withdrawn from Syria.
The news of Gen Mattis' departure comes amid fears of a government shutdown over Mr Trump's border wall. Mr Trump did not name a successor, but said one would be appointed shortly.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. In his resignation letter, Gen Mattis described his views on "treating allies with respect" and using "all the tools of American power to provide for the common defence".
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. "Because you have the right to have a secretary of defence whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down," Gen Mattis wrote.
Mr Trump announced his decision to withdraw the 2,000 US troops from Syria on Wednesday, asserting that the Islamic State (IS) group had been defeated there.
The news, which was met with strong criticism, is at odds with Mr Mattis' position, who had warned that an early withdrawal from the country would be a "strategic blunder".
US troops have helped rid much of Syria's north-east of the jihadist group, but pockets of fighters remain.
The White House would not give a timescale for the withdrawal but defence officials quoted by the New York Times said President Trump wanted it done within 30 days.