Slotkin's statement on withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria

Statement

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) released the following statement in response to President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Northern Syria:

"The American handshake needs to mean something," Slotkin said. "When we ask a foreign force to fight and die with us -- as we did with the Syrian Kurds in the fight against ISIS -- our partners need to know that we will recognize their sacrifice and stand by them. I therefore strongly disagree with President Trump's decision to withdraw American troops from Northern Syria and walk away from our Syrian Kurdish partners. They have been central to the counter-ISIS fight.

"This is yet another example of erratic foreign policy decision-making that compromises our own national security interests, and leaves partners on the battlefield in a time of need. If we are to expect allies and partners to be willing to partner with us now and in the future, they need to be able to trust us. Secretary Mattis and other officials felt strongly enough about this very issue that they resigned over it. Secretary Mattis' resignation letter is as relevant today as it was when he submitted it in December 2018."

"This is a bipartisan issue: in February, myself and a group of Senators and Representatives wrote to the President requesting the U.S. maintain a small, stabilizing force in Syria, together with coalition partners and allies. We did so because we believed that a U.S. commitment is worth the stability it provides against ISIS resurgence. And in fact, the President sent us back a note saying he agreed with us and publicly announced he would keep a few hundred troops in Syria. I do not know what changed, but I urge him to revisit his decision to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria and provide clear guidance on the U.S. strategy in Syria."

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