House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said Sunday that under President-elect Trump, he believes there will “be an assessment as to whether or not” troops currently in Syria “should” stay.
“Well, I think, you know, one of the things that Donald Trump will make clear is that any threat to U.S. troops will be unbelievably responded to, so everyone should understand absolutely that the United States troops are to be secure,” Turner told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” Sunday.
“The second thing is, is he does absolutely support the Kurds and that he’s going to look for a diplomatic solution. I think [there’ll] be an assessment as to whether or not those — the troops should remain,” he added.
The U.S. currently has 900 troops stationed in Syria’s Kurdish-held northeast territory, fighting against a resurgence of ISIS.
Early Sunday, the Syrian government fell following the entrance of rebels into the capital of Damascus. The fall of the government marked the end of a 50-year rule of the Assad family in Syria.
The Assad regime’s end came after a 10-day offensive by rebels during which fighters made their way quickly across Syria and took large portions of what had been government-held land.
Turner said Sunday, following the fall of the Syrian government, that Iran and Russia, two U.S. adversaries, “have been brutal in their support with Assad.”
“The hundreds of thousands of people, including the use of chemical weapons, that have been killed, have been under the Russian influence there,” he added. “Russia still has two bases, a naval and air force base there that are going to be, you know, both at risk for Russia, but also a risk to the population of Syria, because they could — they have been used before to attack the Syrian population.”
Trump said Saturday on Truth Social that “Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!”
