Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Republicans and former US officials rip into Trump for abandoning the Kurds in Syria

Republicans and former US officials rip into Trump for abandoning the Kurds in Syria

President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria prompted rare bipartisan criticism and warnings about the resurgence of ISIS.

Republicans and former US officials, including some that worked in the Trump administration, have assailed President Donald Trump's decision to abandon Kurdish forces in Syria to a potential massacre at the hands of the Turkish military.

The Trump administration on Sunday abruptly announced US troops would be withdrawn from northeastern Syria, paving the way for Turkey to launch a military invasion there. Turkey views the Kurdish forces there as a threat and has been warning of launching a military operation in the region for days.

Though Republicans have largely been gentle on Trump regarding the Ukraine scandal and related impeachment inquiry, the criticism from GOP lawmakers over his Syria decision has been swift and direct.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said a "precipitous withdrawal" of US troops from Syria "would only benefit Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime."

McConnell added that it would also "increase the risk that ISIS and other terrorist groups regroup."

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top ally of Trump in Congress who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, excoriated the move.

"I hope I'm making myself clear how shortsighted and irresponsible this decision is, in my view," Graham said on Fox News on Monday morning. "This to me is just unnerving to its core."

He continued to slam Trump's decision via Twitter, saying the decision "virtually reassures the reemergence of ISIS" and "makes it difficult for the US to recruit allies against radical Islam."

Similarly, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said in a statement, "If the President sticks with this retreat, he needs to know that this bad decision will likely result in the slaughter of allies who fought with us, including women and children. I hope the President will listen to his generals and reconsider."

Sasse added, "Before Turkey butchers innocent Kurds, Erdogan should carefully consider his privileged status as a NATO member. The American people don't partner with genocidal regimes."

A bipartisan group of lawmakers that just returned from a congressional delegation visit to Turkey, Afghanistan, and the Syria-Jordan border in a statement characterized the decision as a "misguided and catastrophic blow to our national security interests."

The lawmakers said the "bottom line is that these Kurdish soldiers are the first line of defense in maintaining the gains we have made against ISIS," adding that if Turkey attacks the Kurdish fighters, there's a "grave risk" that ISIS will make a comeback.


'Donald Trump is not a Commander-in-Chief'

Meanwhile, Trump's former top US envoy for the fight against ISIS, Brett McGurk, was especially critical of the president.

McGurk said in a tweet, "Donald Trump is not a Commander-in-Chief. He makes impulsive decisions with no knowledge or deliberation. He sends military personnel into harm's way with no backing. He blusters and then leaves our allies exposed when adversaries call his bluff or he confronts a hard phone call."

Nikki Haley, Trump's former US ambassador to the UN, suggested Trump was making a "big mistake" by leaving the Kurds "to die" after they played an "instrumental" role in the fight against ISIS.

"We must always have the backs of our allies, if we expect them to have our back," Haley said.

Trump was even criticized on "Fox & Friends," which tends to put a positive spin on controversies swirling around the president, with host Brian Kilmeade describing the decision as part of a "disastrous series of events."

"We defeated the caliphate; the caliphate is destroyed. We wouldn't have done that without the Kurds, who did all of our fighting," Kilmeade said. "The reason why our casualties were so low is because the Kurds did all the fighting. Now we're saying, 'OK Turks, go wipe them out or force them out.' What kind of message is that to the next ally who wants to side with us?"


'Deserting an ally in a foolish attempt to appease a foreign strongman'

Congressional Democrats also rebuked the president.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump was "betraying" and "deserting an ally in a foolish attempt to appease a foreign strongman."

Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a tweet that Trump had essentially invited Turkey into Syria to "wipe out the Kurds." He called Trump's decision "positively sinister."

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said Trump's "impulsive behavior" has put US and allied troops in the region in danger, "and our hard won gains against ISIS at great risk."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×