Editorials & Other Articles

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(107,922 posts) Fri Jan 4, 2019, 03:23 PM Jan 2019

Ignatius: Trump's withdrawal from Syria could re-ignite ISIS

Asked to describe U.S. policy toward Syria after President Trump’s sudden decision on Dec. 19 to withdraw U.S. troops from that country, several key officials use the same two words: “total chaos.”

There’s another phrase that comes to mind in assessing Trump’s move: snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. American-backed forces were on the verge of eliminating the Islamic State in northeast Syria when Trump made his surprise announcement, which went against the recommendations of all his senior diplomatic and military advisers.

Trump did it anyway, for reasons that remain mysterious to some of his subordinates. The trigger was a Dec. 14 phone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump had been briefed to warn the Turkish leader not to invade Syria, as he had been threatening to do. But Trump instead told Erdogan: “You know what? It’s yours. I’m leaving.”

Trump’s idea was to let Turkish forces take over the American-backed campaign against the Islamic State in northeast Syria. But senior military officials say the Turkish alternative doesn’t add up, quite literally, in terms of numbers.

The Turks want to replace a Kurdish-led force of about 60,000 fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. They have claimed to U.S. officials that they have 50,000 Syrian opposition forces under their control, but that’s wildly overstated. The Turkish-backed opposition is closer to 5,000, U.S. officials say, and many have jihadist connections.

The Turks have been trying to sell the notion that they can combat the Islamic State for more than two years. U.S. military commanders who investigated Ankara’s proposals starting in 2016 began describing the force that would supposedly clear Raqqa and other jihadist strongholds as a “ghost brigade.”

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/ignatius-trumps-withdrawal-from-syria-could-re-ignite-isis/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=c2e446615a-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-c2e446615a-228635337

1 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Ignatius: Trump's withdrawal from Syria could re-ignite ISIS (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jan 2019 OP

There's a cost to being free. In America we have given over so much since 911. Crutchez_CuiBono Jan 2019 #1

Crutchez_CuiBono

(7,725 posts)

1. There's a cost to being free. In America we have given over so much since 911.

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Fri Jan 4, 2019, 03:32 PM

Jan 2019

Until we take the profit out of selling guns, the MIC will find a group of folks to make the boogymen. We need stiff upper lips. Every time one "terrorist group" dies...amazingly, another arises to almost seamlessly continue to be the PNAC type fodder to keep Americans LESS-free than Sept 10th, 2001. It was terrible what happened, but, Bush knew and was warned. Condi rice as well. When folks do their jobs, Americans live the dream we stand and eulogize, anthemate(?) and beat each other up about. IMHO That is when we do reverence to the Founding Fathers, The Constitution, and every American who's ever died for the cause of freedom. Just sayin.
Live free or die. Where's all the yellow flag waving "Don't tread on Me" folks? Why so scared? When ISIS is dead...there will be another, and another. See the russian don. The biggest threat to America ever imagined. Let's clean OUR house first? And be prepared for whatever comes by way of true enemies.

Reply to this discussion