While the US has finished evacuating its first military warehouse
in Syria as part of the pullout from the country, some of the top
Republican senators condemning the idea are claiming that progress has
been made in getting President Trump to scrap the idea.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says that Trump has promised him that US troops will “stay and finish the job” in Syria, and that the withdrawal would only happen after the destruction of ISIS.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) was a bit less upbeat, but claimed that senators
had been successful in convincing President Trump to slow the pace of
the withdrawal. He insisted leaving Syria is “morally wrong.”
This comes immediately following reports from commanders that there is
no established timetable, and that the withdrawal could take “several months.”
This was already dialing back expectations, as early reports suggested
the US could be trying to be out of Syria within 30 days.
Any change in plans is likely to impact US-Turkey relations, as Turkey
is poised to start an offensive against Kurdish territory, and the US is
expected to be gone from those areas when they get there.
Top Republicans Claim Trump ‘Rethinking’ Syria Withdrawal Plans
Lindsey Graham says Trump promises to stay and destroy ISIS
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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