Tag Archives: Syria

Lindsey Graham: Trump Just Told Me Things I Didn’t Know About Syria So Now I Feel A Lot Better [VIDEO]

Reuters reports: Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said President Donald Trump reassured him about his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and his commitment to defeating Islamic State during a White House meeting on Sunday. “We talked about Syria. He told me some things I didn’t know that made me feel a lot better about where we’re headed in …

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Lindsey Graham To Beg Trump To Reconsider On Syria: If The US Leaves The Kurds “Will Get Slaughtered”

CNN reports: Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Sunday that withdrawing US troops from Syria could directly result in the deaths of Kurdish people there and that he plans to make a case to President Donald Trump today to reconsider his plans. “There are three things important for this country. Number one, make sure that ISIS never comes back in …

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Santorum Blasts Trump On Syria: It’s Horrible Foreign Policy To Abandon Allies, This Will Hurt Him Politically

“The way [Trump] did it in the face of the president of Turkey, basically abandoning our allies [the Kurds], who the Turks see as terrorists, is just a horrible piece of foreign policy. I am very disappointed in the president that he would do this in this fashion. We need to stand for our allies, particularly allies who have fought …

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Fox Host Challenges White House Spox To Name One Advisor Who Told Trump To Pull Troops From Syria

Mediaite reports: White House spokeswomen Mercedes Schlapp appeared for an interview on Fox & Friends Monday, where she was challenged by host Brian Kilmeade to name a single adviser that told President Donald Trump to withdraw troops from Syria. “Can you name an adviser the president has that recommended he pull out 2,000 troops?” Kilmeade asked. Schlapp dodged: “I’m not …

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Former NATO Commander Wesley Clark: US Allies Are Asking If Turkey’s President Blackmailed Trump [VIDEO]

“There doesn’t seem to be any strategic rationale for the decision. And if there’s no strategic rationale for the decision then you have to ask, why was the decision made? People around the world are asking this and some of our friends and our allies in the Middle East are asking, did Erdogan blackmail the president? Was there a payoff …

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Trump Hails “Productive” Call On Withdrawal From Syria

Reuters reports: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed on Sunday to coordinate to prevent an authority vacuum from developing as the United States withdraws from Syria, the Turkish presidency said. In a phone call between the two leaders, Erdogan also expressed satisfaction with steps taken by Washington regarding combating terrorism in Syria and said Turkey was …

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BREAKING: Trump Pushes James Mattis Out Early Due To Anger Over Media Reaction To Resignation Letter

The New York Times reports: President Trump, angry over days of news coverage characterizing the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as a rebuke of the president, has told administration officials that he is considering removing Mr. Mattis from his job by Jan. 1, two months before he had planned to depart. The president, a notoriously mercurial leader, has been …

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Trump Jabs At Mattis: I Gave Him A Second Chance

Politico reports: President Donald Trump claimed Saturday he gave outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis “a second chance” after the retired Marine general was ousted from military leadership under the Obama administration. Former President Barack Obama fired Mattis as head of U.S. Central Command in 2013 in large part because of Mattis’ increasingly hawkish posture toward Iran. Mattis resigned from the …

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Top US Anti-ISIS Envoy Resigns Over Syria Withdrawal

NBC News reports: Brett McGurk, the special envoy for the global coalition to defeat Islamic State, submitted his resignation on Friday, effective Dec. 31, a U.S.State Department official said on Saturday. A person familiar with the matter said McGurk has quit because he objected to President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out U.S. troops from Syria, a decision followed by …

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Graham Wants Senate Hearings On Troop Withdrawals

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is calling for hearings on President Trump’s plans to withdraw troops from Syria and possibly Afghanistan. Graham has been a staunch Trump defender but broke with him over the Syria decision, saying it would spark “chaos” and likening it to former President Obama’s decision to …

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Trump Decided To Leave Syria After Call With Turkey’s President, Did Not Consult Pentagon Or Any US Allies

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State, according to U.S. and Turkish officials. Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by …

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Fox Host Eviscerates Trump In Segment With Sanders: He Just Gave Russia A Big Win And “Re-founded ISIS”

The Hill reports: “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade on Friday said President Trump had “re-founded ISIS” and was giving Russia “a big win” with his decision to pull U.S. troops from Syria. Kilmeade made the remarks during an interview with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “He also is doing exactly what he criticized President Obama for doing. …

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James Mattis Burned Trump In His Resignation Letter

CNN reports: “One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect …

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BREAKING: Defense Secretary James Mattis To “Retire”

As the Syria withdrawal decision continues to draw furor from conservatives, Trump just announced that Defense Sec. James Mattis will “retire” at the end of February. Update to follow shortly…. UPDATE via NPR: Defense Secretary James Mattis, a living Marine Corps legend who made history by securing special permission from Congress to lead the Pentagon, is stepping down after a …

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Trump: Why Does Lindsey Graham Want Dead Soldiers?

Lindsey Graham, like many others, has called out Trump’s lie that ISIS has been defeated. Therefore he too must be destroyed. “I give the president all the credit in the world for changing their policies regarding the fight against ISIS, but I will not buy into the narrative that they have been defeated,” Graham said, adding that he had just …

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Fox Host Blasts “Irresponsible” Trump Over Syria Move

Mediaite reports: Co-host Brian Kilmeade did not hold back in criticizing the Commander in Chief’s stunning announcement via Twitter plans to withdrawal 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, saying it was “stunning and irresponsible” and blindsided Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. As many commentators have pointed out, in no way has ISIS been “defeated” in Syria — contrary to what is …

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Russia Hails US Plan To Withdraw Troops From Syria

From the Russia state agency TASS: The US decision to pull its troops from Syria creates good prospects for a political solution in that Arab country, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Maria Zakharova said on Channel One on Wednesday. “A milestone story which might evolve from this decision is a real prospect for a political solution,” she said adding that the …

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Graham Rips Trump For “ISIS Defeated” Claim: Pulling Out Of Syria Would Be A “Huge Obama-Like Mistake”

Mediaite reports: Following reports that the president is planning a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria (along with his proclamation on Twitter that ISIS has been defeated in Syria) Graham broke from the White House and bashed the move. “With all due respect, ISIS is not defeated in Syria, Iraq, and after just returning from visiting there — certainly …

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Pentagon Plans “Full And Rapid” Withdrawal From Syria

The Wall Street Journal reports: In an abrupt reversal, the U.S. military is preparing to withdraw its forces from northeastern Syria, people familiar with the matter said Wednesday, a move that throws the American strategy in the Middle East into turmoil. U.S. officials began informing partners in northeastern Syria of their plans to begin immediately pulling American forces out of …

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Lego Foundation And Sesame Street Announce Joint $100M Project To Aid Refugee Children With Trauma

The New York Times reports: Can play help refugee children heal from trauma? That’s the belief behind a new partnership formed by the Lego Foundation, Sesame Workshop and organizations working with Syrian and Rohingya refugees. In its first major humanitarian project, announced on Wednesday, the foundation will provide $100 million over five years to the makers of “Sesame Street” to …

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