Top republican US senator Lindsey Graham said he had a White House meeting with the United States President Donald Trump and Trump has reassured that its administration is committed to defeating the Islamic States though he announced his plan to withdraw the US troops from Syria.
Graham had warned withdrawing 2,000 troops from Syria would trouble the national security, allowing the Islamic State to rebuild, and increasing threats from Iran to Israel.
According to news reports, Graham has said he would ask US president to assure a slowdown of troop’s withdrawal. Though Graham has opposed seven Trump’s foreign policies, after the meeting, Graham was found more upbeat.
At White House, Graham said: “We talked about Syria. He told me some things I didn’t know that made me feel a lot better about where we’re headed in Syria.”
Graham said: “We still have some differences but I will tell you that the president is thinking long and hard about Syria – how to withdraw our forces but at the same time achieve our national security interests.”
When asked about Trump agreements over slowing withdrawal process, Graham said, “I think the president’s very committed to making sure that when we leave Syria, that ISIS is completely defeated.”
He said, “I think the president has come up with a plan with his generals that makes sense to me.”
In a tweet, Graham wrote: “The President will make sure any withdrawal from Syria will be done in a fashion to ensure:1) ISIS is permanently destroyed. 2) Iran doesn’t fill in the back end, and 3) Our Kurdish allies are protected.”
The President will make sure any withdrawal from Syria will be done in a fashion to ensure:
1) ISIS is permanently destroyed.
2) Iran doesn’t fill in the back end, and
3) our Kurdish allies are protected.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 30, 2018
Graham tweeted: “President @realDonaldTrump is talking with our commanders and working with our allies to make sure these three objectives are met as we implement the withdrawal.”
The Pentagon said it was considering plans for the “deliberate and controlled withdrawal”.