“We must always have the backs of our allies,” Haley tweeted.
By World Israel News Staff
Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley led the charge on Monday as a group of prominent Republicans criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces from Syria, abandoning America’s Kurdish allies.
Trump’s decision, announced on Sunday after a call with Turkish President Recep Erdogan, opens up the Kurdish forces to possible attack from Turkey, which views the Kurds as an enemy.
“We must always have the backs of our allies, if we expect them to have our back,” Haley tweeted. “The Kurds were instrumental in our successful fight against ISIS in Syria. Leaving them to die is a big mistake.”
Other Republican leaders who weighed in against Trump’s decision include Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Marco Rubio of Florida.
Graham may have been the most vociferous in his criticism, sending off a series of tweets.
“No matter what President Trump is saying about his decision, it is EXACTLY what President Obama did in Iraq with even more disastrous consequences for our national security,” Graham tweeted. “Unlike President Obama, I hope President Trump will reassess and take sound military advice.”
“*It is never wise to abandon an ally who has sacrificed on your behalf. *It is never wise to repeat the mistakes of your predecessor. *It is never wise to outsource American national security to Turkey or any other nation,” Graham posted in another tweet.
Graham also took to Fox News, saying “The biggest lie being told by the administration is that ISIS has been defeated… this to me is just unnerving to its core… To say to the American people ISIS has been destroyed in Syria is not true.”
McConnell echoed this sentiment in a statement: “While the physical caliphate has been removed, ISIS and al Qaeda remain dangerous forces in Syria and the ongoing Syrian civil war poses significant security and humanitarian risks.”
The Syrian Democratic Forces, the name of the umbrella group of mainly Kurdish militias in Syria, said in response to Trump’s decision that it could no longer fight ISIS as it must turn its attention to defending itself against Turkish attack.
The SDF also said, “To disregard our partnership would also send a clear signal to all would-be partner forces of the United States that a U.S. alliance may not be trustworthy.”
Trump defended his decision, tweeting on Monday, “it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to figure the situation out, and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their ‘neighborhood.’”