Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned President Trump on Wednesday that a U.S. withdrawal from the war in Syria would be an “Obama-like mistake.”
The president claimed that the Islamic State had been defeated in Syria amid reports that the administration is planning a rapid withdrawal from the country after four years of war with the terrorist group.
But Graham said pulling out the 2,000 troops in Syria would still be a win for the group and alluded to former President Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw all forces from Iraq in 2011, a move that allowed ISIS to sweep into the region and drew widespread Republican criticism.
“If these media reports are true, it will be an Obama-like mistake made by the Trump administration. While American patience in confronting radical Islam may wane, the radical Islamists’ passion to kill Americans and our allies never wavers,” Graham said in a statement. “After visiting Syria earlier this year, it is abundantly clear the approximately 2,000 American troops stationed there are vital to our national security interests.”
Trump had said earlier this year that the U.S. would soon leave Syria. However, amid the reports of a withdrawal, the Pentagon issued a statement Wednesday saying that it continues operations in the country.
“At this time, we continue to work by, with and through our partners in the region,” said Col. Robert Manning, a Pentagon spokesman on Wednesday.
Graham, who is among Trump’s closest confidants on Capitol Hill, said the administration risks “devastating consequences” that could benefit not only the terrorist group but also Iran, Russia and the Syrian regime in Damascus.
“Today, we have a small American footprint and limited presence in northeastern Syria in support of our Kurdish allies who were indispensable in the fight against ISIS,” he said. “Staying there is an insurance policy against the re-emergence of ISIS and destruction of our Kurdish allies who fought so bravely against them.”
