I understand we have 50 people there. If removing these folks from the region causes as much death and devastation as is being predicted, then God help us all.
As for it being a surprise, Trump campaigned on this, and announced it last year.
50 people.
That could be 3 SF A teams, a few CIA field ops, and 6 FAC's.
The right 50 guys can facilitate a lot of damage.