Former senior military commander tells me: “Sen. Lindsey Graham has been absolutely right in his assessment of this move. A complete withdrawal from Syria at this point would completely unhinge our strategy against ISIS in Syria and Iraq...
2/ “...and also our strategy to counter Iranian malign activities in those countries. It would be much worse than President Obama's withdrawal of our forces from Iraq....
3/“...ISIS is not yet completely defeated and the Syrian Defense Forces are not ready in sufficient number and capability to finish the job, much less to protect their area against regime and Iranian forces...
4/“... And our forces are critical to preventing Iran from establishing a ground line of communications from Tehran to Damascus and into southern Lebanon, which would prove very dangerous for our Israeli allies...
5/“... Withdrawal would also cut the legs out from under our diplomatic efforts in Syria as well as in Iraq, emboldening the Assad Regime and Russia and undermining the UN process....
6/“... Beyond that, withdrawal from Syria would embolden our adversaries and undermine confidence in the US not just in the region, but around the world. And, in that sense, it would be worse than the failure of the Obama Administration to take action after the redline...
7/ “... on the use of chemical weapons was crossed in Syria. (This would come after President Trump has demonstrated U.S. resolve in conducting measured strikes against Syrian regime forces after they used chemical weapons.)...
8/“... Finally, the cost to us for what we are doing is quite modest and very sustainable: we have a small number of US and coalition troops on the ground, casualties have been minimal, and we expend a relatively small amount of money....
9/“... Why not leave our troops there to help ensure not just the defeat of what remains of ISIS, but also to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS, as well? Let's not forget that, as Sen Cornyn observed yesterday, what happens in the Middle East doesn't stay in the Middle East...
10/“... That's why President Obama, reluctantly, ordered forces into Syria in the first place -- as he saw ISIS orchestrate attacks in Europe and inspire attacks in the US...
11/“... We need to recognize that ISIS is a generational problem and that a generational commitment is required to deal with it."
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