Posted on 11/29/2023 6:05:50 PM PST by RandFan
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul's office says he will force a vote in the coming weeks on a bill he introduced this month that could remove all U.S. troops — approximately 900 — from Syria.
Sources say a vote could come as early as next week.
"The American people have had enough of endless wars in the Middle East. Yet, 900 U.S. troops remain in Syria with no vital U.S. interest at stake, no definition of victory, no exit strategy, and no congressional authorization to be there," Paul said in a statement provided to RS.
"If we are going to deploy our young men and women in uniform to Syria to fight and potentially give their life for some supposed cause, shouldn’t we as their elected representatives at least debate the merits of sending them there? Shouldn’t we do our constitutional duty and debate if the mission we are sending them on is achievable?"
American forces have been targeted in recent years with rockets and drones by Shia militants who the Pentagon says are directly supported by Iran. Those attacks have increased over the last month and a half after the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion and hostage-taking in Israel. According to the Department of Defense, there have been 66 attacks on U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq since Oct. 17 , with 34 of them in Syria. At least 62 Americans have been injured in both countries.
The Biden administration has authorized limited strikes against targets in both Syria and Iraq, one on Oct. 26 and the other on Nov. 21, in retaliation for those attacks.
Paul's resolution, introduced on Nov. 15, invokes the War Powers Resolution which says the Biden administration is required to remove the U.S. military from hostilities without a declaration of war from Congress. This resolution would remove the troops within 30 days of passage unless the president asks for and receives an authorization for war from the Congress.
Critics like Paul say the Syria operation is not covered by the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs). Nevertheless, the U.S. military has been engaged in kinetic warfare with a number of state and non-state actors there since Obama deployed troops during the Syrian civil war in 2015. Now, the forces remain in harm's way without a clear mission and a war not far from the border in Gaza.
globohomos aren’t going to like this
The troops have bases at locations like “Conoco Natural Gas Field” which gives you a clue as to why they are there.
Good.
It sounds like both our govt, and their govt think protecting their interests is a good idea.
I am sure the multinational company also has an interest in this.
My only question is: Are they paying their fair share for the protection.
Yes I think that this should have Congressional approval, or disproval.
and Yes I think that if we are fighting a war even a proxy war it should also have Congressional approval.
Not that I think it would matter a whole lot, but I could at least point my finger at the warmongers more easily
I have seen no case made for us to have troops in Syria or Iraq.
If no one is willing to step up and make such a case, we should clear out of there now.
I want us out, but I also know the consequences for Israel, Egypt, Jordan and our remaining Kurd Allies in NE Syria.
I followed the fight to eliminate ISIS for 7 years. A very close friend of mine for that time went silent in late April 2020. Could not find out what happened, but no one there that I knew could/would tell me. I found out about 2 weeks ago, she was in vehicle with 2 other women leaders in the SDF and a Turk Drone blew up the vehicle. I finally saw video’s of their funeral. (I had heard about the attack 3 years ago, did not know who it hit.)
If we pull totally out, Turkey will try again to take a large part of Syria. That opens a huge path from Iran to Israel. Biden financed the attack on Israel. He is taking money or in kind to help Iran. The Mullah are the worst supporters of Terrorists in the world.
Should we help them? (It is not my call, but I know the consequences.)
I do know the situation in NE Syria.
This could well be the sign of where we are in relationship to the final battle. It could be soon.
Good. We have no business being there.
We need more Rand Pauls and less of almost everyone else in our government.
The whole war in Syria such a disgrace from the get go it was the use of Jihadists-Bin Laden Followers-The Kind Of Folks Who Did 9/11 backed by the US-UK-France-Gulf Arabs to overthrow Assad.
Then things morphed into ISIS drawing our military in.
One girl from the UK trafficked into ISIS at the age of 15 with other underage girls Shamima Begum.
When she tried to get British citizenship back her lawyers produced evidence from the authorities indicating she got trafficked into Syria to join ISIS by a Canadian intelligence operative in Jordan.
And in the end who does Canadian intelligence work for?
Give me a C
Give me an I
Give me an A
And just today, Inpex of Japan, the last western oil major in Iraq, announced it is selling its remaining shares in a giant Iraq ‘Eridu’ field to Lukoil of Russia - which puts China Petroleum and Russia Lukoil as having controlling interests in Iraq’s largest oilfields.
Another neocon success!!
Trump ordered the troops out of Syria and Iraq. The seditionist Joint Chiefs refused to follow the president’s orders.
Stealing billions of dollars of oil requires troops. I don’t think we’re our regime is willing to stop the theft. The troops are expendable if need be.
They refused a direct order from Trump to withdraw. Why would this be any different?
Why are we still in Syria? Isis is gone! The side we backed (rather scummy people to be true) in the Syrian Civil War lost. Assad and Russia won. Time to cut our losses and leave. Its like beating a dead horse.
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