While the US has finished evacuating its first military warehouse in Syria as part of the pullout from the country, some of the top Republican senators condemning the idea are claiming that progress has been made in getting President Trump to scrap the idea.



Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says that Trump has promised him that US troops will “stay and finish the job” in Syria, and that the withdrawal would only happen after the destruction of ISIS.



Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) was a bit less upbeat, but claimed that senators had been successful in convincing President Trump to slow the pace of the withdrawal. He insisted leaving Syria is “morally wrong.”



This comes immediately following reports from commanders that there is no established timetable, and that the withdrawal could take “several months.” This was already dialing back expectations, as early reports suggested the US could be trying to be out of Syria within 30 days.



Any change in plans is likely to impact US-Turkey relations, as Turkey is poised to start an offensive against Kurdish territory, and the US is expected to be gone from those areas when they get there.





Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz