Kinzinger, Thornberry say White House removal of U.S. troops from Syria is a mistake

U.S. Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Mac Thornberry (R-TX) expressed displeasure regarding the administration’s announcement that U.S. military troops have been withdrawn from Syria.

“Withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria as Turkey moves forward with their offensive in the northern region is wrong, dangerous and it means we are abandoning our friends in the region,” Rep. Kinzinger said. “This is a short-sighted decision with very real and long-lasting implications.”

President Donald Trump explained the decision during an Oct. 7 press briefing that included military leaders.

“We’ve been in Syria for a long time. And it was supposed to be a very short hit, and — hit on ISIS.  But it didn’t work out that way. They never left. And they’ve been there for many, many years,” the president said. “But we’ll see what happens with respect to a lot of different things.”

Rep. Kinzinger, who is founder and co-chair of the Friends of a Free, Stable, and Democratic Syria Caucus, said America is sending its allies “a terrible message” and putting the nation’s security at risk.

“Furthermore, it’s giving Russia and Iran exactly what they want while emboldening Turkey to take out the Kurds, who have worked alongside our troops to combat terrorism,” the congressman said. “Without question, a strong U.S. presence in the region is critical to thwarting a resurgence of ISIS. This War on Terror is far from over, it will undoubtedly be a generational fight, and the decision to abandon our allies in Syria is wrong and misguided.”

Rep. Thornberry, ranking member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, agreed.

“It would be a grave mistake for Turkey to send its military forces into Syria provoking hostilities with the Syrian Democratic Forces,” said Rep. Thornberry this week. “It would also be a grave mistake for the U.S. to unilaterally withdraw from Syria or to acquiesce in any way to a Turkish invasion. The consequences of these decisions will be severe and lasting for the Middle East and for the rest of the world.”

According to President Trump, the United States was “down to very few soldiers in Syria. We had 50 in the region that you’re talking about — 50 soldiers — and they’ve been already moved out.”