Attack on Syria could suck US into Middle East quagmire: Sanders
Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has denounced US President Donald Trump for ordering a military strike against government targets in Syria, saying it could suck the United States into a years-long quagmire.
"I’m deeply concerned that these strikes could lead to the United States once again being dragged back into the quagmire of long-term military engagement in the Middle East," Sanders said in a statement issued on Friday.
The Vermont senator said the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taught Americans "that it’s easier to get into a war than get out of one."
During his failed bid last year for the Democratic nomination, Sanders had censured his rival, Hillary Clinton, for her support of the Iraq war.
Trump had also repeatedly touted his opposition to the US-led wars in the region and vowed never to take a military action against the Syrian government.
But on Friday Trump ordered the strike after pointing the finger at Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the chemical attack which killed at least 70 people in the town of Khan Shaykhun in Idlib.
Sanders called on Trump to appear before Congress and explain his strategy, and also seek authorization before taking any further military action against Syria.
“The Trump administration must explain to the American people exactly what this military escalation in Syria is intended to achieve, and how it fits into the broader goal of a political solution, which is the only way Syria’s devastating civil war ends," he said.
"As the Constitution requires, the president must come to Congress to authorize any further use of force” against the country, he added.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Friday threatened further military action in Syria.
"The United States took a very measured step last night," she declared. "We are prepared to do more, but we hope it will not be necessary."
The US military fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the al-Shayrat airbase in Homs province in western Syria.
The missiles were launched from the destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross in the eastern Mediterranean. The strike killed nine civilians, including four children on Friday, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
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