Trump's troop withdrawal in Syria forces US to bomb its own munitions stash
American fighter jets bombed a U.S. munitions dump in Syria to keep the weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
Two American F-15 fighter jets bombed a stash of U.S. munitions in northern Syria because the trucks needed to remove the ammo safely were being used to withdraw American troops, Task & Purpose reported Wednesday.
The American airstrike on American weapons was necessary because “abandoning unguarded ammo would not be prudent,” Army Col. Myles Caggins, a spokesperson for the U.S.-led military coalition fighting ISIS, told Task & Purpose. Caggins confirmed that the bombing happened after all U.S. troops had left the area.
Hundreds of ISIS-affiliated prisoners in northern Syria have escaped in the days since Donald Trump decided to withdraw from the region. Despite Trump’s repeated claims that ISIS has been defeated, experts say the decision to withdraw American troops will likely empower the terrorist organization and help it rebuild.
Trump made the decision to abandon the United States’ Kurdish allies after an Oct. 6 phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During that call, Trump appeared to greenlight a Turkish military offensive in the region, targeting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who worked alongside the United States in the fight against ISIS. A White House statement later confirmed this.
The decision to abandon Kurdish allies has been met with bipartisan resistance.
“The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS in Syria. Leaving them to die is a big mistake,” Nikki Haley, Trump’s former U.N. ambassador, said about the decision.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a staunch Trump ally, called the decision “a big win for ISIS.”
Since then, the region has deteriorated into chaos. The situation is so dangerous that Doctors without Borders, a world-renowned humanitarian organization that was providing care and resources to civilians, was forced to leave the region.
“Several hundred Kurds, I think, have been killed in the last few days in the initial phases of this incursion,” retired Adm. Sandy Winnefeld, former vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CBS News. “I don’t believe that I can credibly say that the Kurds are safer now.”
In addition to blowing up its own munitions supply, the hasty retreat from the region has forced the U.S. military to abandon a U.S. base in Manbij. Russian journalists in the region took selfies at the abandoned base later, according to the Washington Post.
On Wednesday, an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the House passed a resolution condemning Trump’s decision to abandon Kurdish allies. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a staunch Trump ally, said Thursday he wants the Senate to pass a resolution “even stronger” than the one passed in the House.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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