US Senator Rand Paul has called for the immediate withdrawal of American forces from Syria in a statement on X earlier this week, with just over a month ago before the Trump administration enters the White House.
President-elect Trump and his team will have a lot of major and key decisions to make on conflict zones in various parts of the globe. Syria will be a crucial focus, given it is now essentially a failed state and is poised to further become a terrorist hotbed, and given US-designated terror group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham now controls Damascus and much of the country.
"Bring our troops home! The war pits Islamists against socialist Kurds against Iranian proxies. Not our fight. 900 US troops scattered about Syria are a target, not a deterrent," Sen. Paul posted on X in reference to the ongoing 'mini-civil war' still raging in Deir Ezzor area and the north.
While the Pentagon recently claimed there are no plans to expand the US military presence in northeast Syria, there's no hint of bringing any troops home either.
US forces are there propping up the Syrian Kurds (SDF/YPG), who also control Syria's oil and gas fields, but the US proxies are now locked in a battle for survival with the larger and better armed Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). The SDF has just been kicked out of Manbij, and fighting is still happening.
These US proxies are now bogged down enough to have to give up any pretense at a 'counter-ISIS' mission, which is the "official" reason the Pentagon is supposed to be there in the first place.
All of this is a huge flaming mess to say the least, and Trump will inherit it from day one, including the likelihood of a greatly resurgent ISIS, which can now have free reign in many parts of Syria...
Pentagon chief spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder has meanwhile confirmed US forces have come under sporadic attack amid the chaos, and that there have been a few troop injureis: "As you know, those numbers can fluctuate. I’m not aware of any other injuries at this time," the said.
"Again, we’ll not hesitate to take appropriate action and protect our forces if they are threatened," he added. Days ago, as the shock of the HTS advance against Assad forces was happening elsewhere in Syria, the US launched major airstrikes against alleged ISIS locations across the east of Syria.
Meanwhile... Rand Paul is RIGHT: