{"id":44716,"date":"2019-09-26T19:07:58","date_gmt":"2019-09-26T19:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/26\/a-bipartisan-report-calls-for-the-us-to-halt-its-withdrawal-from-syria\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:29:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:29:42","slug":"a-bipartisan-report-calls-for-the-us-to-halt-its-withdrawal-from-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/09\/26\/a-bipartisan-report-calls-for-the-us-to-halt-its-withdrawal-from-syria\/","title":{"rendered":"A bipartisan report calls for the US to halt its withdrawal from Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A bipartisan report is calling on the U.S. to halt its withdrawal of U.S. forces from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/02\/17\/assad-vows-to-liberate-every-inch-of-syria-from-foreign-troops\/\" target=_blank>Syria<\/a>, or risk a resurgence of ISIS fighters and entrenchment of Iranian forces in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The congressionally mandated Syria Study Group released its findings Tuesday with dire warnings that the Syrian civil war that has ravaged the country for nearly eight years is not winding down and is entering a new phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Absent U.S. assistance in the region, America risks handing the reins of the country\u2019s future to a resurgent ISIS, al-Qaida offshoots and the maligned interests of Iran, Russia and other actors in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently, the U.S. maintains a small footprint of American troops in northeast Syria and at a small outpost near the Syria-Iraq border known as Tanf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report criticized President Donald Trump\u2019s decision to withdraw forces from the region and characterized \u201csharp shifts and reversals\u201d in U.S. policy as undermining American \u201ccredibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe United States cannot avoid or ignore the conflict in Syria,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe United States and its allies retain tools to address those threats and the leverage to promote outcomes that are better for American interests than those that would prevail in the absence of U.S. engagement,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/09\/08\/to-set-up-safe-zone-us-wades-into-muddled-syria-politics\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19249676620978.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">To set up \u2018safe zone,\u2019 US wades into muddled Syria politics<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">U.S. flags fluttered on the back of coalition armored vehicles as they whizzed past tiny hamlets in northeastern Syria. Once part of the sprawling territories controlled by the Islamic State group, the areas are now under threat of an attack from Turkey, which considers these villages\u2019 liberators, the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish-led forces, to be terrorists.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Geneva-led effort and the Turkey, Russia and Iran supported Astana peace process have failed to find a political settlement to the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite claims that Syrian Bashar al-Assad has defeated the rebels, the report said the authoritarian leader\u2019s control of roughly 60 percent of the country is \u201ctenuous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond Damascus, Assad\u2019s forces are at the mercy of Russian and Iranian support to hold down territory reclaimed by government forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April, Assad\u2019s forces backed by Russian air power launched a major offensive against the last rebel strong hold in Syria\u2019s Idlib province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Syria\u2019s incursion into the al-Qaida controlled province provoked condemnation from Turkey, among others, and broke a de-escalation agreement accepted in September 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Syria\u2019s ongoing offensive in Idlib presents a conundrum for U.S. policy makers who wish to see the destruction of al-Qaida offshoots like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib, but also the amelioration of the worsening humanitarian disaster in the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.securitycouncilreport.org\/atf\/cf\/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D\/s_2019_674.pdf\" target=_blank>UN report <\/a>published in August, more than 500 civilians have been killed and over 500,000 have been displaced since fighting erupted in Idlib in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe effect of the hostilities on civilian infrastructure remained severe as vital facilities such as hospitals, bakeries, schools and water pumping stations have been damaged or destroyed by air strikes and shelling,\u201d the UN report reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Trump characterized Russia\u2019s indiscriminate bombing of Idlib as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1135332642851893250?s=20\" target=_blank>butchery<\/a>\u201d in a June tweet, the U.S. conducted a strike against an al Qaida-in-Syria facility north of Idlib on Aug. 31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1021\" height=\"574\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1162747501CC.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1162747501CC.jpg.jpg 1021w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1162747501CC.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1162747501CC.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1021px) 100vw, 1021px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Syrian government tank drives next to a building near the town of Khan Shaykhun in the southern countryside of the rebel-held Idlib province on August 18, 2019. &#8211; A Turkish military convoy crossed into jihadist-run northwest Syria on August 19, it&#8217;s path blocked by advancing regime troops as tensions soared between Damascus and Ankara, which said its forces were targeted by an air strike. (Photo by \/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNorthwest Syria remains a safe haven where AQ-S [al Qaida in Syria] leaders actively coordinate terrorist activities throughout the region and in the West,\u201d Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said in a news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;With our allies and partners, we will continue to target violent extremists to prevent them from using Syria as a safe haven,\u201d Brown said in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Syria Study Group noted that while the U.S. lacks the ability to conduct a \u201cfull-fledged counterterrorism campaign\u201d in terrorist controlled regions like Idlib, the U.S should \u201cexplore avenues to increase the pressure on terrorist groups in Idlib.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report also recommended the U.S. should put pressure on the Assad regime to stop targeting civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/09\/04\/us-troops-and-allied-kurdish-force-patrol-syria-turkey-border\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5234131.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US troops and allied Kurdish force patrol Syria-Turkey border<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">U.S. troops and an allied Syrian militia conducted a joint patrol Wednesday in a town on the border with Turkey, a Kurdish news agency and a Syria war monitor reported. The move appeared to be part of an agreement to set up a safe zone along Syria\u2019s northeast border.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report also warned that ISIS is not defeated in Syria despite the liberation of much of the terrorist group\u2019s territory by coalition forces and their partners the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISIS has morphed into an insurgency waiting to exploit calamitous events that could help it recruit new fighters and regain lost ground, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those triggering events could be an offensive by Syrian forces across the Euphrates into SDF territory, an incursion by Turkish forces into northeast Syria, or the SDF\u2019s inability to hold onto thousands of ISIS fighters it has detained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turkey views the YPG, a group under the larger SDF umbrella, as an armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers\u2019 Party, or the PKK \u2014 a group Turkey contends is a terrorist organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Washington\u2019s arming of the SDF has soured relations with Ankara. Turkey has repeatedly threatened an invasion of northeast Syria to combat group\u2019s it sees as aligned with the PKK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To reduce tensions and prevent an unraveling of gains made by the SDF, the U.S. and Turkey agreed to joint patrols and the destruction of YPG fortifications and withdrawal of YPG forces from those areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, a withdrawal of U.S. forces will complicate efforts to assist SDF forces or to keep tabs on sensitive diplomatic efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. has already conducted a partial withdrawal from Syria, according to a DoD inspector general\u2019s report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2019\/Aug\/06\/2002167167\/-1\/-1\/1\/Q3FY2019_LEADIG_OIR_REPORT.PDF\" target=_blank>inspector general\u2019s<\/a> report, Operation Inherent Resolve \u2014 the U.S.-led coalition to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria \u2014 the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria could be \u201cdetrimental\u201d to the mission to defeat ISIS militants and could lead to the \u201ccollapse\u201d of established governance structures in liberated territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OIR also said the withdrawal decreased assistance it could provide its Syrian partners at a time when the SDF needs more training and equipment for counterinsurgency operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SDF is also contending with Arab resentment to its governance in liberated regions, an issue that could be exploited by ISIS, the Syria Study Group report detailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cISIS will seek to take advantage of any opening, whether a reduction in U.S. counterterrorism pressure or discontent among eastern Syria\u2019s Arab population, to recruit new fighters and mount attacks,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Absent U.S. assistance in the region, America risks handing the reins of the country\u2019s future to a resurgent ISIS, al-Qaida offshoots and the maligned interests of Iran, Russia and other actors in the 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