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Pete Buttigieg said it makes his blood boil when he thinks about President Donald Trump’s decision to remove U.S. troops from the Syria-Turkey border, exposing Kurdish forces who have been allies in the U.S. military’s anti-terrorism efforts.

Buttigieg was back in Iowa on Wednesday, a day after the latest Democratic presidential debate. The South Bend, Indiana, mayor was on the Iowa State University campus, where he participated in a roundtable discussion on health care issues with local experts, and later held a town hall forum.

During an interview before those events, Buttigieg said Trump’s decision to remove U.S. troops from the Syria-Turkey border upsets him in part because he remembers serving alongside Afghan troops as a U.S. Naval Reserve intelligence officer.

“I certainly view it through the lens of somebody who served, because I served in a coalition with allies. There were Afghans who risked their lives every day just to be seen anywhere near us,” Buttigieg said. “And thinking now about what we’ve done to a really important ally, in addition to making my blood boil it also shows what’s at stake in having a president who’s committed to our values.”