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Mitch McConnell Rebukes Trump’s Plan to Pull Out of Syria

“American interests are best served by American leadership, not by retreat or withdrawal,” he wrote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) pushed back against President Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, claiming there was bipartisan support for continued military presence in the country to combat threats from terror groups like ISIS and al Qaeda. “A precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime. And it would increase the risk that ISIS and other terrorists groups regroup,” McConnell wrote. The senator also urged the president to keep the “multinational coalition” against ISIS together or face “damaging” ties between the U.S. and Turkey—a country that borders Syria and is home to U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters. “As we learned the hard way during the Obama Administration, American interests are best served by American leadership, not by retreat or withdrawal,” he wrote.

The White House announced the move Sunday evening. “WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN,” Trump wrote in a series of tweets on Monday.