Grave consequences of US withdrawal from Syria: McConnell
US Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who last week called President Donald Trump's decision to pull out troops from Syria "a strategic nightmare" for Israel, has said that he will introduce his own resolution calling on Trump to end the withdrawal from Syria.
McConnell said on Tuesday his resolution “recognizes the grave consequences of US withdrawal,” from Syria.
Last week Senate Republicans rejected an attempt to condemn Trump’s move, saying they should do something more substantial.
“I am introducing a stronger resolution that acknowledges hard truths and focuses on our strategic interests in the Middle East,” McConnell said. “It recognizes the grave consequences of US withdrawal… We specifically urge the president to end the drawdown.”
Last week, McConnell penned an op-ed for The Washington Post in which he described the US troops from Syria "a strategic nightmare" for Washington's allies, such as Israel and Jordan.
"Withdrawing US forces from Syria is a grave strategic mistake," McConnell wrote.
"It will leave the American people and homeland less safe, embolden our enemies, and weaken important alliances,” he added.
Earlier this month, Turkey began pounding the positions of Kurdish fighters with jets and artillery and sent in troops to purge them from the area east of Euphrates.
The offensive came three days after Trump announced he would pull US troops from the region, effectively exposing its allied Kurdish militants to their archenemy, Turkey.
Trump defended his decision to pull US troops out of Syria as "strategically brilliant."
Despite McConnell’s resolution, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday called for McConnell to take up the House resolution, which passed with support from House Republicans.
“I wish our colleagues would show the same courage,” Schumer said. “If the House resolution is tough enough for House Republican leadership, surely it’s good enough for the majority of Senate Republicans.”
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