Trump vows to stop ‘endless wars’ in Syria, Afghanistan

Bloomberg

President Donald Trump pledged to bring home US troops from Syria with IS nearly defeated and to negotiate an exit from Afghanistan after almost two decades of war, saying in his State of the Union address that “great nations do not fight endless wars.”
“Today, we have liberated virtually all of that territory from the grip of these bloodthirsty monsters,” Trump said in his speech. “Now, as we work with our allies to destroy the remnants of IS, it is time to give our brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome home.”
Trump and his aides have scaled back the president’s vow in late December to withdraw forces “now,” saying the move would be more measured and that the US will continue to strike at IS. But the president spoke only hours after the Republican-controlled Senate passed legislation with a provision sponsored by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell calling for the US to avoid any “precipitous withdrawal” from Syria and Afghanistan.

Withdrawal Risk
At its peak, IS ruled territory the size of Britain, with a population of more than 10 million people, according to the Brookings Institution. Last week, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said “99.5 percent-plus of IS-controlled territory” has been recaptured. But General Joseph L. Votel, the head of US Central Command, told lawmakers that there’s a risk IS may try to reassert influence in the war-ravaged country.
“If the major actors and their proxies become embroiled in a competition for influence in Syria, this may create space for IS remnants or other terrorist groups to reform or reconstitute,” Votel said in a report to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Russia, Iran, Turkey and Israel all have a stake in Syria’s future. In his speech, Trump conflated war and domestic investigations of his administration as twin threats to the US economy.
“An economic miracle is taking place in the United States — and the only thing that can stop it are foolish wars, politics or ridiculous partisan investigations,” he said, without mentioning the continuing probes into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and into his business affairs. “If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn’t work that way!”
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned in December over Trump’s vow to take troops out of Syria, and other officials have pushed back, creating confusion over the timetable for withdrawal.
US intelligence officials also undercut Trump’s initial boast that IS has been defeated. The “Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community” said thousands of IS fighters and supporters remain in Syria and Iraq, and that they will continue to conduct attacks and “exploit Sunni grievances.”
Trump also pledged in his speech to Congress that he’ll reduce the 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan. After losing more than 2,300 US soldiers and spending more than $900 billion in Afghanistan since 2001, critics say the US risks losing hard-won gains in what has become America’s longest war.
“I have also accelerated our negotiations to reach, if possible, a political settlement in Afghanistan,” Trump said. “In Afghanistan, my administration is holding constructive talks with a number of Afghan groups, including the Taliban. As we make progress in these negotiations, we will be able to reduce our troop presence and focus on counter-terrorism.”
The Trump administration is seeking an agreement with the Taliban that would let American troops come home. That will require a breakthrough brokered by his special envoy on Afghan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been meeting separately with Taliban and Afghani officials in search of a solution.