President Donald Trump’s pronouncement that the Islamic State has been vanquished in Syria and his controversial decision to withdraw U. S. troops from the war…
President Donald Trump’s pronouncement that the Islamic State has been vanquished in Syria and his controversial decision to withdraw U. S. troops from the war-torn nation have raised the question of whether the beleaguered militant group really has been beaten.
“We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” Trump tweeted Wednesday before ordering the withdrawal of more than 2,000 troops.
A day later Trump acknowledged that more fighting might need to be done, but that the U. S should leave it to Iran, Russia and Syria.
“Does the USA want to be the Policeman of the Middle East, getting NOTHING but spending precious lives and trillions of dollars protecting others who, in almost all cases, do not appreciate what we are doing?” Trump tweeted. “Do we want to be there forever?”
Most experts agree that the military might of ISIS has been severely diminished. But Trump’s decision fell flat in his own administration, with Defense Secretary James Mattis resigning the next day. Then Brett McGurk, the U. S. envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, announced his resignation.
Leaders of his own party, including Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, quickly registered protests. Graham added that Trump’s action would represent a “big win for ISIS, Iran, Bashar al Assad of Syria, and Russia.
